Water Efficient House

Abstract

Water is essential for the existence of human life. In recent years, the need for the study of efficient water use in homes has become significant because of factors such as population growth, climate change and urbanization. The main aims of this project were to assess the use of water in households in the United Kingdom based on three different patterns of consumption and to prove the significant impact that updating water-using appliances and changing consumer behaviours for some activities have on daily water consumption. In addition, the study sought to assess the impact that the implementation of greywater reuse and rainwater harvesting systems have on the three patterns of consumption and to identify the influence that applying these systems have on daily water consumption. A quantitative approach was utilised for this project in order to calculate the water use of a standard household based on prior water consumption studies and surveys along with data from the Office for National Statistics and other governmental bodies. This study used the following methodology. First, average daily water usage was calculated for the three different consumption patterns (high, average and low) based on different water-using appliances and consumer behaviours. Then, the daily per capita consumption levels of these three patterns were calculated after the implementation of a greywater reuse system and after the implementation of a rainwater harvesting system. These results were then compared with the initial water-saving measures to provide recommendations. The results demonstrated that for pattern 1 (high consumption), daily per capita water consumption was 193.7 litres, and this was decreased to 109.8 litres by the introduction of a greywater reuse system and to 163 litres with the introduction of a rainwater harvesting system. For pattern 2 (average consumption), daily per capita consumption was 142.1 litres, which was reduced to 82 litres with the addition of a greywater system and to 111.4 litres with a rainwater harvesting system. For pattern 3 (low consumption), daily per capita consumption was 81.8 litres, which was decreased to 52.5 litres with either a greywater reuse or rainwater harvesting system. The recommendations for each pattern were based on the minimum daily need for water and governmental targets for per capita consumption. For patterns 1 and 2, it is recommended to improve consumption by upgrading the water-using appliances and changing consumer habits to reach pattern 3 usage levels. In addition, a greywater reuse system is appropriate for pattern 1, while a rainwater harvesting system is recommended for patterns 2 and 3.