Relationship between building hot water usage and energy and carbon reduction

Abstract

This article proposes a calculation model for estimating the energy consumption and CO2 emissions resulting from hot water usage and for evaluating the potential for carbon reduction by using a water efficiency strategy. The model revealed a reciprocal relationship between hot water usage in daily life and energy consumption and carbon footprints. From 1990 to 2010 in Taiwan, hot water accounted for approximately 20%–30% of daily water consumption, and the use of hot water indirectly caused an average emission of 6.19 (kg-CO2/m3) and a 1.83% contribution to carbon emissions per capita. The potential influence of hot water usage on the issue of carbon reduction and the importance of strategies for saving water are thus highlighted in this study. Practical application:The proposed calculation model clarified the relationship between hot water usage and carbon emissions. Through the investigation and simulation of domestic hot water usage, the carbon reduction potential of a hot water-savings strategy was validated. This study can make various organizations in both the public and private sectors aware of the importance of building a society based on the concept of water conservation, and various policy-making processes are anticipated to be initiated as a result. Efforts to save hot water could be consolidated to achieve synergy with carbon reduction policies and benefits to building service engineering.