Financial and Social Factors Influencing the Use of Unconventional Water Systems in Single-Family Houses in Eight European Countries

Agnieszka Stec,Daniel Słyś

doi:10.3390/resources11020016

Abstract

A modern model of water management should take into account, first of all, its responsible consumption of both tap water and water from unconventional sources. With this in mind, a study was conducted to determine the financial efficiency of rainwater harvesting systems (RWHSs) and greywater recycling systems (GWRSs) in residential buildings located in eight European countries. At the first stage, volumetric reliability was determined for different tank capacities for actual precipitation data. An economic analysis was carried out for six variants in which rainwater and greywater were used in various combinations for toilet flushing, washing, and garden watering. The implementation of alternative water systems was found to be financially unprofitable in four cities: Warsaw, Bratislava, Budapest, and Stockholm. For these cities, the variant with the lowest life cycle cost (LCC) level was always Variant 0, with conventional installations. The opposite situation was observed in the other four locations (Lisbon, Madrid, Rome, and Prague), where Variant 0 was not found to be financially profitable for any of the calculation cases analyzed. Additionally, a survey was conducted to determine the effect of social aspects, which is often the greatest barrier to the implementation of new or unknown technologies. In most of the countries surveyed, rainwater is more acceptable to society as an alternative water source than greywater. For hygiene reasons, the use of these two systems for washing clothes was of greatest concern.

Highlights

IntroductionFor more than the last two decades, the world has faced severe environmental problems mainly caused by climate change, urbanization, and population growth
The research carried out on the simulation model allowed us to determine the efficiency of rainwater harvesting systems located in the chosen cities in Europe
The research results for Variant 1, in which rainwater was used for toilet flushing, showed that the highest volumetric reliability at a level of 99% was obtained in Rome (Figure 3a) for 7 m3 tank capacity

Summary

Introduction

For more than the last two decades, the world has faced severe environmental problems mainly caused by climate change, urbanization, and population growth. According to Yang et al, the current international efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change may depend primarily on the level of resource use and the level of emissions in industrialized and urbanized countries [3]. Sustainable management of natural resources can be achieved by implementing environmentally friendly technologies in all sectors of the economy. This applies to the construction sector, which uses enormous amounts of water [4,5]. It is estimated that residential buildings alone make up about 10% of the total global water demand [6]. The increasing consumption of water means that, in many countries, it is scarce and, a very valuable commodity [7]

Methods

Results

Conclusion