Executive Solutions and Economic Analysis to Reduce Water Consumption in Different Construction Sectors

Abstract

Optimizing water consumption requires four approaches: modifying laws and regulations, modifying facilities and equipment, promoting the use of consumption-reducing equipment, public education, and cultural measures, which are mainly behavioral reforms and instrumental reforms. In this research, implementation solutions and economic analysis of reducing water consumption in different parts of a building were evaluated. For the economic analysis of the amount of water consumption in buildings, first, a series of influential parameters and indicators were taken into account, and then based on that, relationships were extracted and the amount of water saving in different sectors and factors was determined based on the strategies to reduce water consumption in residential buildings. The savings of the proposed solutions to reduce water consumption in different parts of the building were evaluated based on the three prices of mineral water, export water, and government water. In this research, the investment return period based on the price of mineral water after 2.2 years, exported water after 2.7 years, and government water after 3.9 years is possible by applying the suggested solutions such as the use of modern faucets by the European EPA Association, the standards of minimum suitable dimensions in different parts of a building according to the fourth topic of the national building regulations and the elimination of old systems and the use of modern systems in the building. In this research, the solutions proposed in the sanitary and other sectors (including septic tanks, and toilets) have the greatest impact in reducing water consumption in the construction division with 62 and 16 percent, respectively, and as a result, higher savings.

Keywords

• return on investment
• economic analysis
• executive solutions
• residential building
• reducing water consumption