Residential water use trends in North America
Residential water use trends in North America
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DOI：
10.1002/j.1551-8833.2011.tb11403.x
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发表时间：
2011-02
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
T. Rockaway;Paul A. Coomes;Joshua Rivard;Barry Kornstein
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
T. Rockaway;Paul A. Coomes;Joshua Rivard;Barry Kornstein
许多自来水公司注意到，尽管客户家庭数量持续增长，但平均住宅用水量却下降了，这种趋势在许多社区都观察到，而且不仅限于缺水地区。人们提出了几个理论原因来解释这些下降趋势，包括潮湿的天气、新的节水器具、人口结构的变化和分类异常。尽管用水量下降取决于许多因素和当地条件，但一个关键原因似乎是节水装置和器具的使用增加。然而，迄今为止，还没有关于这些假设的有效性或每种假设对观察到的住宅用水量下降的贡献量做出明确的声明。这项研究通过严格评估国家、区域和地方数据趋势，评估了每个组成部分对减少用水量的贡献。这项研究对居民用水量的了解表明，这种下降趋势并不是暂时的。自来水公司应评估本地区的用水特点，根据居民用水减少的趋势进行适当调整。
Many water utilities have noted that average residential water use has fallen even though the number of customer households continues to grow, a trend observed in many communities and not confined to water‐scarce regions. Several theoretical reasons have been advanced to explain these declining trends, including wetter weather, new water‐conserving appliances, changing demographics, and classification anomalies. Although declining water use is dependent on many factors and local conditions, a key reason appears to be the increased use of water‐conserving fixtures and appliances. To date, however, no definitive statement could be made as to the validity of these hypotheses or the amount each contributes to the observed decline in residential water use. This research assessed each component's contribution to decreasing water use by critically evaluating national, regional, and local data trends. The understanding of residential customer water use resulting from this study indicates that this declining trend is not a temporary condition. Water utilities should assess their own regional water use characteristics and appropriately adjust to the trend of reduced water sales to residential customers.