Water Consumption Modeling in Office Buildings: A Case Study in Southern Brazil
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 149, Issue 9
Abstract
Water is largely used in urban-environment human activities; thus, it is essential to properly understand consumption characteristics so that measures to ensure a more efficient use of water resources can be implemented. This study aims to evaluate how different factors impact water consumption in office buildings using longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches in a case study conducted in southern Brazil. Data from 53 offices were used to build statistical water consumption models using the multiple linear regression method. In addition, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on water consumption in this building typology was assessed. The significant variables for the per capita water consumption regression model are the age of the building and the total number of employees. For consumption per floor-plan area (), the variables are whether the building is owned or rented, its age, its size, and the total number of employees. The COVID-19 pandemic impact analysis showed a 10% reduction in the average water consumption during the first wave, when considering all offices in the sample. The analysis by business activity showed a reduction of 28% and 27% in the average consumption of water in law and accounting firms, respectively. In contrast, it went up by 15% in engineering offices during the same period. The analysis of the impact of the pandemic and the investigation of the main drivers of water consumption can provide parameters to promote water conservation in office buildings and can be used in the management of urban water demand.
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Data Availability Statement
The water consumption database was provided by Águas de Jonville. Direct requests for these materials may be made to the provider as indicated in the Acknowledgements.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Águas de Jonville for the water consumption database. This research was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico–CNPq (Grant No. 421062/2018-5), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina–FAPESC (Grant Nos. 2019TR594 and 2021TR837).
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 149 • Issue 9 • September 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 13, 2022
Accepted: Apr 27, 2023
Published online: Jul 14, 2023
Published in print: Sep 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Dec 14, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Analysis (by type)
- Buildings
- Business management
- Case studies
- Commercial buildings
- Engineering fundamentals
- Epidemic and pandemic
- Facilities (by type)
- Methodology (by type)
- Practice and Profession
- Public administration
- Public health and safety
- Regression analysis
- Research methods (by type)
- Statistical analysis (by type)
- Structural engineering
- Structures (by type)
- Water and water resources
- Water conservation
- Water management
- Water policy
- Water resources
- Water supply
- Water use
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