Household Water Demand Seasonal Elasticities: A Stone-Geary Model under an Increasing Block Rate Structure

Abstract. The increased availability of water end use measurement studies allows for more mechanistic and detailed approaches to estimating household water demand and conservation potential. This study uses, probability distributions for parameters affecting water use estimated from end use studies and randomly sampled in Monte Carlo iterations to simulate water use in a single-family residential neighborhood. This model represents existing conditions and is calibrated to metered data. A two-stage mixed integer optimization model is then developed to estimate the least-cost combination of long- and short-term conservation actions for each household. This least-cost conservation model provides an estimate of the upper bound of reasonable conservation potential for varying pricing and rebate conditions. The models were adapted from previous work in Jordan and are applied to a neighborhood in San Ramon, California in eastern San Francisco Bay Area. The existing conditions model produces seasonal use results very close to the metered data. The least-cost conservation model suggests clothes washer rebates are among most cost-effective rebate programs for indoor uses. Retrofit of faucets and toilets is also cost effective and holds the highest potential for water savings from indoor uses. This mechanistic modeling approach can improve understanding of water demand and estimate cost-effectiveness of water conservation programs.

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Household water demand in the peri-urban communities of Awka, Capital of Anambra State, Nigeria

Journal of Geography and Regional Planning ◽

10.5897/jgrp2013.0385 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (6) ◽

pp. 237-243 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E. Ezenwaji

Keyword(s):

Urban Communities ◽

Water Demand ◽

Anambra State ◽

Household Water

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Using Water Footprint Approaches to Estimate Water Demand in the Lake Naivasha Basin, Kenya

Environmental Management and Sustainable Development ◽

10.5296/emsd.v9i1.15931 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 30

Author(s):

Tom Mongare Ndege

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Water Demand ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Demand Elasticity ◽

Lake Basin ◽

Lake Naivasha ◽

Water Abstraction ◽

Household Water ◽

Income Data ◽

Water Volumes

The purpose of this paper is to estimate water demand for households in Lake Naivasha basin. This is important because water demand is increasingly significant to the policy of choice for achieving sustainable water management. Realization of sustainable water use is urgent in Lake |Naivasha water basin not only because of the unstable water volumes in the Lake which have wider wellbeing effects but also because of changing land use strategies that depend on higher water abstraction. Following Mokennen,et al., (2012) this study uses a water footprint approach to estimate the responsiveness of water use choices to changes in prices and income. Data is collected using questionnaires distributed to 418 residents in the lake basin. In this paper a double log water demand function is used to estimate household water demand. This approach has the advantage of providing paramters that are easily comparable with previous studies. The paper is, however, innovative in its application of estimated “total water abstraction” using water footprint approaches. An estimated water demand elasticity of 0.347 is only significant at p=0.01 suggesting a weak but significant impact of water cost on water abstraction choices. These results suggest the potential of applying price/fiscal instruments to enhance sustainable water abstraction within a water stress ecosystem.

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