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| Submitter's Name |
Kenneth Friedman |
| Session Name |
Poster Session: Optimal Use of Integrated Water Supplies 1 |
| Category |
Optimal use of integrated water supplies |
| Poster Number |
411 |
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| Author(s) |
Kenneth Friedman, University of Florida, Conserve Florida Water Clearinghouse |
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James Heaney,
University of Florida, Conserve Florida Water Clearinghouse |
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Optimal Indoor Water Conservation Planning for Single Family Homes |
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Traditional water supplies are reaching their sustainable limits in Florida. Several areas in the state are currently looking at alternative water supplies, reuse water, and water conservation to ensure that ample future water is provided. Although this initiative is a step in the right direction, current water conservation plans are often qualitative and do not measure how well the plan is working, or how much water was saved from implementing it. Residential water use is normally measured using a single meter that records total water use that is the sum of indoor and outdoor water use. This study addresses methods to estimate the indoor component of total water use. Residential indoor estimates are used in conservation planning when determining how many homes need to have water using fixtures upgraded to reduce water use. This usage is often estimated based on the assumption that the minimum month of water usage represents the indoor usage for a utility or a customer since that month should have no irrigation taking place. In warm climates like Florida, this assumption may be invalid since irrigation takes place year round. Also, indoor water use may vary seasonally in areas like Florida due to part-time residents and tourists. Utilizing a case study utility, a component method for estimating indoor usage based on number of residential accounts, number of people per house, and per capita water usage was shown to be more reliable than minimum month assumptions in Florida. Number of people per house was shown to be constant with time, while per capita usage decreased slightly in recent years due to more efficient fixtures. The results of this study are general methods which can be applied toward a utility specific indoor water conservation plan for single family homes in Florida. |
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