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2 FOUNDATIONS OF END‐USE MEASUREMENT 2.1 Why do a residential end‐use measurement study? Residential end-use measurement studies are an essential input to urban water planning.
Understanding where and when people use water in their homes by collecting information
about the contribution of various appliances to total water use, the relative split between
indoor and outdoor use and/or seasonal and geographical variations in water consumption
is essential for determining likely future demands on water supply, detecting system leaks
and designing demand management programs. End-use measurement studies can be tailored
to meet one or more of a variety of objectives depending on the available budget,
technologies and time for the study.
2.2 Previous end‐use measurement studies A summary of previous end-use measurement studies is presented here to demonstrate the
value of collecting end-use data and to highlight possible constraints which should be
considered in the design of future studies.
Table 1 lists some water and energy end-use measurement studies undertaken in Australia,
New Zealand, the USA and Canada. More detailed descriptions of these studies are also
attached in Appendix 1. Energy end-use measurement studies are included in the list as
examples of how monitoring consumption and cost may affect user behaviour. Findings
from water, gas and energy end-use measurement studies could be beneficial to all three
utility sectors.
These studies have highlighted a number of approaches and practical issues:
1. End-use data is collected to address a range of objectives, such as:
•
Understanding typical end-uses in single family detached homes and patterns
across a country (e.g. AWWA Study, USA; REUMS, Melbourne)
•
Measuring impacts of retrofits on water usage (e.g. Tampa, Toronto)
•
Helping businesses to understand and manage their water use efficiently (e.g.
Scottish smart water meters)
2. Decisions on equipment selection requires an assessment of practical issues against set
objectives.
For example, ultrasonic and magnetic flow meters are easy and quick to install.
Nevertheless, installing individual meters in multi-residential dwellings is expensive and
time consuming for a large scale study. Data loggers with larger memories are less time
consuming and more economical to use. In some instances, loggers may need to be
adapted for certain purposes by tailoring devices (e.g. adding microchips to increase
memory).
3. Minor implementation issues can have a critical impact on the success of the study.
Planning should address simple questions such as:
•
Is there a space available to clamp additional ultrasonic and magnetic flow meters
to existing mechanical ones?
•
Is weatherproofing necessary to avoid corrosion of monitoring equipment?
Residential End‐use Measurement Guidebook 2