Customers' Water Use Underestimated by Utility Firms and Govt

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Customers' Water Use Underestimated by Utility Firms and Govt

Utility companies and government in the UK are underestimating how much water customers use, a new study suggests.

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An investigation showed students use up to 180 litres of water daily, with the widely used industry estimate being 150 litres per day; Image source: Evening Mail

An investigation into the water consumption habits of more than 8,000 students in university halls of residence over the past four years has revealed that students are using as much as 180 litres of water every day – 30 litres higher than the widely-used industry estimate of 150 litres per day.

The finding was made during a study which has seen student accommodation at the University of the West of England used to explore the complexities of domestic water consumption.

Metering systems have been installed at the university’s Frenchay campus, allowing academics to receive water use data on an almost real-time basis.

Sophisticated data segmentation techniques allow the researchers to explore particular water using behaviours, like dish-washing, without revealing personal information.

Professor Chad Staddon, who is leading the study, was initially surprised by the average per person per day water use figure discovered in the project.

“The figure was higher than industry expectations despite our students living in accommodation which does not have associated green spaces or driveways, so water is not being consumed on gardening or washing cars,” he said.

“But there is a ready explanation – because the students live on campus and often prefer to study in their flats, water use does not fall off in the day as much as might be expected in more ‘normal’ residential communities with higher daytime vacancy rates.”

Fixture inefficiencies, such as leaky loos, are also part of the underlying cause of higher consumption.

Read full article: Evening Mail

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