A good portion of the hot water used at an institutional building (just like houses ~ especially larger households) is devoted to washing dishes in the kitchen and washing clothes in the laundry. If the equipment used for these tasks does not have settings for different-sized loads, then it is best to operate them only when cleaning a full load.
Use of an economizer cycle, if available, is another energy saver, for example, drip-drying dishes naturally instead of with forced heat.
Adjusting the settings to wash and rinse with the coldest possible water temperature saves energy too, often without sacrificing quality or cleanliness. You can even use cold water laundry detergent to max out the hot-water savings. Look for a no-phosphate cleanser because phosphates are VERY damaging to the environment.
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Excerpted from Going Green, available as an eBook at this list of eBook retailers online.