Development of a Residential Water Conservation Demonstration Module.

摘要

Residential water conservation is becoming increasingly important. Conservation should be viewed as an alternative to development of new water supplies. The first step for a successful water conservation program is education. A microcomputer program was written to analyze individual water habits and to quantify potential water savings. The program asks user questions about water source, type of energy to heat it, marginal water cost and water habits. The program computes annual water consumption for comparison with the national average. A printout offering conservation suggestions is provided. Twenty-five persons completed the program to check its integrity and to generate a data set to measure potential water savings. Estimated annual savings of $70, $21, and $27 per person prevailed for water heated with electricity, natural gas and propane respectively. The program, representing a first step in water conservation, provides incentives that modify water use habits. An additional educational microcomputer program could provide information on cost-effective physical changes in the interior of the residence. A diskette, containing the BASIC program and other information is included. This is contained in report PB93-500304.