scholarly journals Assessment of A Rainwater Harvesting System in A Multi-Storey Residential Building in Brazil

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jéssica Kuntz Maykot ◽  
Enedir Ghisi
Keyword(s):  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Internal Rate Of Return ◽  
Rainwater Tank ◽  
The One ◽  
End Uses

This article aims to present an economic feasibility and user satisfaction analysis of a rainwater harvesting system in a multi-storey residential building (where there is rainwater to supply toilets) located in Florianópolis, southern Brazil. This research used detailed methods and also considered the opinion and habits of users regarding the use of a rainwater harvesting system. The water end-uses were estimated through questionnaire survey in each flat. The potential for potable water savings was estimated using computer simulations. Simulations were performed using the computer programme Netuno, version 4 and economic feasibility analyses were performed considering different rainwater demands. Analyses associated with the habits of the residents, the satisfaction of users and the importance of saving potable water were also carried out. Showers were responsible for the highest share (54.2%) of water consumption in the flats, followed by the other end-uses: washing machine (21.3%), kitchen tap (9.3%), toilet flush (9.2%) and washbasins (2.6%). The most economically feasible system, which presented lower payback and higher internal rate of return, corresponds to the system sized to supply rainwater only to toilet flushing. Such a system would need a rainwater tank with a capacity smaller than the capacity of the one currently in use. In general, residents expressed satisfaction regarding the rainwater harvesting system installed in the building. The study is important because, besides obtaining water end-uses in the flats, it also investigates the perception of residents related to rainwater harvesting, which has been little explored in the scientific literature.

scholarly journals Investment feasibility analysis of rainwater harvesting in a building in Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1497-1504 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Ghisi ◽  
L. P. Thives ◽  
R. F. W. Paes
Keyword(s):  
Potable Water ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Payback Period ◽  
Feasibility Analysis ◽  
Rate Of Return ◽  
Internal Rate Of Return ◽  
Present Value ◽  
Water Savings ◽  
Internal Rate

Abstract The objective of this study is to assess the investment feasibility analysis of rainwater harvesting in a building located in Brazil. Rainwater was used to supply toilets, cleaning and irrigation. The costs of materials, labour and maintenance were obtained to carry out the economic analysis; the indicators used were the net present value, internal rate of return and payback period. The investment feasibility analysis and the potential for potable water savings were obtained by means of computer simulation. The potential for potable water savings ranged from 26.70% to 64.70%. The net present value, internal rate of return and payback period for the best scenario were, respectively, R$132,801.47, 3.73% per month and 32 months. For the worst scenario the net present value was R$9,451.26, the internal rate of return was 0.91% per month and the payback period was 166 months. Thus, rainwater can be used as a sustainable alternative and be financially feasible.

scholarly journals Modelling Rainwater Harvesting and Greywater Reuse for Tank Size Optimizations

10.29007/zwnv ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Simona Cipolla ◽  
Marco Maglionico
Keyword(s):  
Potable Water ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Daily Rainfall ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Water Withdrawal ◽  
Water Supply Systems ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Greywater Reuse

In the light of water shortages, frequently affecting many regions worldwide, domestic rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse systems represent an alternative source to provide non-potable water in buildings, reducing the water demand from mains water supply systems. This study fits this framework providing a methodology, based on a hydraulic/hydrological model developed by means of the EPA’s Storm Water Management Model, which allow optimizing the system design by giving the opportunity to the user to consider different catchments surfaces (impervious, gravel and green roofs), plant's configurations, user’s habits, water end-uses, and climate conditions. The model has used to model a residential building, located in the city of Bologna (Italy), and equipped with a hybrid greywater/rainwater system. Continuous simulations were performed with 13 years daily rainfall data, and the long-term performance of different system combinations were evaluated. The case study showed a non-potable water saving efficiency of 75.86%, which accounts by 26.71% mains water withdrawal. The final goal of this paper is those of presenting the hydrological/hydraulic model that has been used as engine of a calculator tool for sizing and planning hybrid rainwater/greywater systems.

scholarly journals Economic Feasibility Analysis of Rainwater Harvesting System at Typical Public Buildings in Guangzhou

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-145
Author(s):  
Chen Shiguang ◽  
Zhang Yu
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Public Buildings ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Rainwater Tank

Objectives : Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is one of the most promising alternative water sources, since rainwater can easily be collected and used without significant treatment for non-potable purposes. However, the economical viability of these systems is not always assured. The objective of this study is to assess the potential water saving and financial performance of an RWH systems for a typical multifunctional building (with a rooftop area of 2,725 m2) in Guangzhou, China.Methods : The water saving and economic feasibility of the RWH system were examined using a yield after supply model for fourteen rainwater tank schemes (from 1 m3 to 30 m3).Results and Discussion : According to the simulation results, an annual potable water saving of 3,923.56 m3 can be achieved and a corresponding annual revenue of 11,496.04 CNY can be obtained from the RWH system. The economic viability expressed by benefit cost ratio is 1.50 and by payback periods are within 6.26 year, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the water price is the most important factor affecting the economic viability of an RWH systems. The widespread implementation of rainwater harvesting systems in the public buildings will not only lead to economic savings, but also go further to relive pressure on urban drainage systems and natural water body. Therefore, the actual benefits achieved by a RWH system will be greater than we predicted in current study.Conclusions : These results demonstrating that the application of RWH system is a very promising adaptation strategy for coping with the water crisis and climate change in urban areas of southern China.

scholarly journals Socio-economic Potential of Rainwater Harvesting in Ethiopia

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaldoon A. Mourad ◽  
Sadame Mohammed Yimer
Keyword(s):  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Water Harvesting ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
High Population Growth

Clean water scarcity becomes a critical issue in many parts of Ethiopia due to the high population growth, water pollution and climate change. The high annual rainfall rates make rainwater harvesting one of the best options to mitigate water scarcity. This study was conducted to analyze the economic feasibility of water harvesting for individual houses in Dessie-town. The results show that the harvested water from a 60 m2 roof can cover all non-potable water needs or can cultivate a small garden, 50 m2, with some needed crops. Cultivating tomatoes and onions can increase the annual household’s income by 5 %.  

scholarly journals Potential for Potable Water Savings Due to Rainwater Use in a Precast Concrete Factory

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 448
Author(s):  
Giovanna Bertuzzi ◽  
Enedir Ghisi
Keyword(s):  
Water Consumption ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Precast Concrete ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Water Savings ◽  
Rainwater Tank ◽  
Current Water ◽  
Tank Capacity ◽  
Rainwater Quality ◽  
The Ideal

The objective of this paper was to assess the potential for potable water savings due to rainwater use in a precast concrete factory in southern Brazil. The economic feasibility and the rainwater quality were also assessed. The current water consumption, future water demand, and rainwater demand in the factory were estimated. The future demand considered was two times higher than the current water consumption since there were plans to increase the production. Three scenarios were then simulated using the computer programme Netuno. The ideal rainwater tank capacity, the potential for potable water savings, and the economic feasibility analysis for each scenario were estimated. Samples of rainwater were collected in the factory and tested for quality for manufacturing precast concrete. For a rainwater tank capacity equal to 25,000 L, the potential for potable water savings for the first scenario was 55.4%, but the first scenario was considered economically unfeasible. For the same tank capacity, the second and third scenarios presented viable results regarding potable water savings and payback. As for the rainwater quality, it was proven to be adequate for manufacturing precast concrete. The main conclusion was that rainwater can be used to manufacture precast concrete in the factory studied herein.

scholarly journals Comprehensive Assessment Methodology for Urban Residential Rainwater Tank Implementation

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashok Sharma ◽  
Ted Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Building Codes ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Local Planning ◽  
Water Savings ◽  
Rainwater Tank ◽  
Rainwater Tanks

Rainwater tanks are increasingly being implemented as part of the integrated urban water management paradigm where all sources of water, including potable, stormwater and recycled, are considered eligible to contribute to the urban water supply. Over the last decade or so, there has been a rapid uptake of rainwater tank systems in urban areas, especially in Australian cities, encouraged through financial incentives, but more importantly, from change in residential building codes effectively mandating the installation of rainwater tanks. Homes with rainwater tanks in Australian cities have increased from 15% to 28% over six years to 2013. These building codes specify certain rainwater tank specifications to achieve a stated rainwater use, and hence potable water savings. These specifications include minimum rainwater tank size, minimum connected roof area, plumbing for internal supply for toilets and washing machines, and external supply for garden watering. These expected potable water savings from households are often factored into regional strategic water planning objectives. Hence if rainwater tanks do not deliver the expected saving due to sub-standard installation and/or poor maintenance, it will have an adverse impact on the regional water plan in the longer term. In this paper, a methodology to assess the effectiveness of a government rainwater tank policy in achieving predicted potable water savings is described and illustrated with a case study from South East Queensland, Australia. It is anticipated that water professionals across the globe should be able to use the same methodology to assess the effectiveness of similar rainwater policies, or indeed any other distributed water saving policy, in their local planning communities.

scholarly journals Assessing the Potential for Potable Water Savings in the Residential Sector of a City: A Case Study of Joinville City

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Custódio ◽  
Ghisi
Keyword(s):  
Water Demand ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
City Council ◽  
Water Savings ◽  
Residential Sector ◽  
Rainwater Tank ◽  
Average Potential ◽  
Daily Water

The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential for potable water savings by using rainwater in the residential sector of Joinville, a city located in southern Brazil. Data on roof areas of residential buildings were obtained from the Joinville city council. By considering the roof areas and typologies of residential buildings, representative models were created. The following parameters were used to determine the rainwater tank capacity: the number of dwellers; the total daily water demand per capita; and the rainwater demand. To carry out the simulations for determining the optimal rainwater tank sizes and potential for potable water savings, the computer program Netuno was used to run 33,720 different scenarios. By considering the occurrence percentage for each representative building model (weighted average), the average potential for potable water savings by using rainwater was calculated. The average potential in the central region of Joinville was 18.5% when there is rainwater use only in toilets, and 40.8% when there is rainwater use in toilets and washing machines. The rainwater harvesting system showed a better performance for a rainwater demand equal to 20% of the total daily water demand. The results indicate the necessity to properly size rainwater tank capacities to meet water demands, thereby encouraging more people to adopt rainwater harvesting as an alternative source for non-potable water in buildings. The demand for rainwater should be carefully evaluated, especially in multi-story residential buildings, due to the low availability of roof areas.

scholarly journals Potential for Potable Water Savings Due to Rainwater use in a Precast Concrete Factory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanna Bertuzzi ◽  
Enedir Ghisi
Keyword(s):  
Water Consumption ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Precast Concrete ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Water Savings ◽  
Rainwater Tank ◽  
Current Water ◽  
Tank Capacity ◽  
Rainwater Quality ◽  
The Ideal

The objective of this paper is to assess the potential for potable water savings due to rainwater use in a precast concrete factory in southern Brazil. The economic feasibility and the rainwater quality were also assessed. The current water consumption, future water demand and rainwater demand in the factory were estimated. The future demand considered was two times higher than the current water consumption since there are plans to increase the production. Three scenarios were then simulated using the computer programme Netuno. The ideal rainwater tank capacity, the potential for potable water savings and the economic feasibility analysis for each scenario were estimated. Samples of rainwater were collected in the factory and tested for quality for manufacturing precast concrete. For a rainwater tank capacity equal to 25,000 litres, the potential for potable water savings for the first scenario was 55.4%, but the first scenario was considered economically unfeasible. For the same tank capacity, the second and third scenarios presented viable results regarding potable water savings and payback. As for the rainwater quality, it was proven to be adequate for manufacturing precast concrete. The main conclusion is that rainwater can be used to manufacture precast concrete in the factory studied herein.

scholarly journals Effect of roof size on the rainwater harvesting tank sizes and performances using Tangki NAHRIM 2.0

2021 ◽  
Vol 920 (1) ◽  
pp. 012035
Author(s):  
N M Daud ◽  
N N Mahiran ◽  
A K Ruslan ◽  
N Hamzah ◽  
A A A Bakar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Demand ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Storage Efficiency ◽  
Rainwater Tank ◽  
The World ◽  
Daily Water ◽  
Rainwater Tanks

Abstract Global warming and increasing population have direct impacts on water demand all over the world. Usage of potable water in Malaysia is high if compared with other countries and the source of potable water is mainly surface water. Rainwater harvesting is one of the popular alternatives to water resources around the world. However, even Malaysia is a country with an abundance of rainfall, rainwater harvesting is still unpopular. Different size of houses has different roof sizes which will subsequently require different sizes of rainwater tanks. This study utilized Tangki NAHRIM 2.0 (TN2); a web application to determine the optimal tank size for a rainwater harvesting system for five different roof sizes for non-potable demand. TN2 simulation uses a daily water balance model with rainfall input from a built-in database by adopting the yield-after-spillage (YAS) convention. The optimum rainwater tank sizes for five different roof sizes are found to be between 2.6 m3 and 3.8 m3 with water-saving efficiency values between 59% to 76.2% and 30.9% to 53.9% for storage efficiency. A bigger tank size offers higher watersaving efficiency but with lower storage efficiency. The output will be useful for the application of RWHS to residential houses.

scholarly journals Rainwater Harvesting Potentials in Commercial Buildings in Dhaka: Reliability and Economic Analysis

Hydrology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Md. Rezaul Karim ◽  
B. M. Sadman Sakib ◽  
Sk. Sadman Sakib ◽  
Monzur Alam Imteaz
Keyword(s):  
Water Demand ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Commercial Buildings ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Rainwater Tank ◽  
Catchment Areas

Despite numerous studies on residential rainwater tank, studies on commercial rainwater tank are scarce. Corporate authorities pay little heed on this sustainable feature. With the aim of encouraging corporate authorities, this study presents the feasibility and economic benefits of rainwater harvesting (RWH) in commercial buildings in the capital city of Bangladesh, where water authority struggles to maintain town water supply. The analysis was conducted using a daily water balance model under three climate scenarios (wet, dry and normal year) for five commercial buildings having catchment areas varying from 315 to 776 m2 and the storage tank capacity varying from 100 to 600 m3. It was found that for a water demand of 30 L per capita per day (lpcd), about 11% to 19% and 16% to 26.80% of the annual water demand can be supplemented by rainwater harvesting under the normal year and wet year climate conditions, respectively. The payback periods are found to be very short, only 2.25 to 3.75 years and benefit–cost (B/C) ratios are more than 1.0, even for building having the smallest catchment area (i.e., 315 m2) and no significant overflow would occur during monsoon, which leads to both economic and environmental benefits. Though the findings cannot be translated to other cities as those are dependent on factors like water price, interest rate, rainfall amount and pattern, however other cities having significant rainfall amounts should conduct similar studies to expedite implementations of widescale rainwater harvesting.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document