Characterization of Water and Energy Consumptions at the End Use Level in Rural and Urban Environments: Preliminary Results of the ENERWAT Project

Cristina Matos,Diana Faria,Francisco Pereira,Ana Briga-Sá,Arminda Gonçalves,Elisabete Silva,Isabel Bentes,Sandra Pereira,António Cunha

doi:10.3390/urbansci3010008

Abstract

The characterization of water and energy consumptions is essential in order to define strategies for their rational use. The way these resources are used in households is the path for efficient and rational management, interdependent from each other. It is believed that there are significant differences between the patterns of water and energy consumption in rural and urban areas, where influencing factors should also be identified. This article aims to provide some preliminary results of a research project named ENERWAT, with the main goal to characterize the relation between water and energy consumption at the end use level for urban and rural environments. One of the goals of the aforementioned project was the design, application, and results analysis of a survey, in order to find the main differences in the water and energy consumptions at the end use level and the factors that influence it in urban and rural households. A total of 245 households participated in the research during 2016 (110 urban dwellings and 135 rural), responding to questions on their family composition, dwellings characterization, water and energy consumption habits, and conservation behaviors of these resources. The project also includes the instrumentation and monitoring of dwellings in rural and urban environments to quantify the water consumption and related energy consumption. This stage is still in progress and includes in situ measurements of nine different households (four in rural and five in urban environments) during at least one year. In this article, some of the results obtained by the survey application and the in situ measurements are presented. Despite the large number of data and the associated complexity, it can be concluded that the joint analysis of the results allows identification of a connection between water and energy consumption, as well as a household’s consumption patterns.

Highlights

In a time where scarce resources and climate change are a concern, it is important to define water and energy efficiency strategies that minimize the damaging impact on the environment
The preliminary results revealed by the surveys indicated differences between domestic consumption of water, electricity, and natural gas, between rural and urban areas
It was important to identify the predominant variables in the differences found in the water and energy consumption, which analysis is in progress at the moment

Summary

Introduction

In a time where scarce resources and climate change are a concern, it is important to define water and energy efficiency strategies that minimize the damaging impact on the environment. It is, Urban Sci. 2019, 3, 8; doi:10.3390/urbansci3010008 www.mdpi.com/journal/urbansci. Urban Sci. 2019, 3, 8 necessary to develop research work to quantify and characterize water and energy consumptions in order to define strategies for their rational use. Since water is a strategic resource for a country’s development, its efficient use must be ensured, providing its preservation, and energy, financial, and environmental savings [1]

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Conclusion