Estimating Benefits of Residential Outdoor Water Conservation: A Step-by-Step Guide
View of the tops of houses in a neighborhood

Versions

View on Ask IFAS
PDF-2024

Keywords

water conservation
residential housing
extension programs
family resource management

Categories

How to Cite

Borisova, Tatiana, Laura A. Warner, Weizhe Weng, Jennison Searcy, Anil Kumar Chaudhary, and Michael Dukes. (2017) 2024. “Estimating Benefits of Residential Outdoor Water Conservation: A Step-by-Step Guide: FE1009 FE1009, Rev. 10 2024”. EDIS 2024 (5). Gainesville, FL. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fe1009-2017.

Abstract

This article was developed to help Extension agents, water-conservation managers, and homeowners estimate the economic benefits of residential outdoor water conservation. It provides guidance for reporting benefits, including lowered utility bills for homeowners, reduced water-delivery costs for utilities, and increased water supply. This publication also offers an example of an impact statement.­

https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fe1009-2017
View on Ask IFAS
PDF-2024

References

Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE). 2015. Outdoor Water Savings Research Initiative: Phase 1 Analysis of Published Research. Chicago, IL: Alliance for Water Efficiency.

Bailey, A. Undated. Ask the Expert: Breaking Down the Typical Utility Bill. Energy Star. https://www.energystar.gov/products/ask-the-expert/breaking-down-the-typical-utility-bill

Boesler, M. 2013. “Bottled water costs 2000 times as much as tap water.” Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.com/bottled-water-costs-2000x-more-than-tap-2013-7

Boyer, M., and M. D. Dukes. 2018. Estimated Water Savings Potential of Florida-Friendly Landscaping Activities. AE515. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ae515

Davis, S., and M. D. Dukes. 2014. “Methodologies for successful implementation of smart irrigation controllers.” Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering 55:1–9.

DeOreo, W. B., P. W. Mayer, B. Dziegieleski, and J. C. Kiefer. 2016. Residential End Users of Water Version 2: Executive Report. Denver, CO: Water Research Foundation.

Economic and Demographic Research (EDR). 2021a. Population and Demographic Data - Florida Products; Based on 2020 Estimates: Population: 2020, 2025, 2030, 2035, 2040 & 2045. http://edr.state.fl.us/Content/population-demographics/data/index-floridaproducts.cfm

Economic and Demographic Research (EDR). 2021b. Annual Assessments of Florida's Water Resources and Conservation Lands. 2021 Edition. http://edr.state.fl.us/Content/natural-resources/index.cfm

European Environment Agency (EEA). 2018. Water use in Europe — Quantity and quality face big challenges. https://www.eea.europa.eu/signals/signals-2018-content-list/articles/water-use-in-europe-2014

Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). 2015. Report on Expansion of Beneficial Use of Reclaimed Water, Stormwater, and Excess Surface Water (Senate Bill 536). Tallahassee, FL: Florida Department of Environmental Protection. http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/reuse/docs/sb536/SB536-Report.pdf

Florida Statutes. 2021. Chapter 373. “Title XXVIII, Natural Resources; Conservation Reclamation, and Use.” http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Index&Title_Request=XXVIII#TitleXXVIII

Haley, M. B., M. D. Dukes, and G. I. Miller. 2007. “Residential irrigation water use in Central Florida.” Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering 133(5):427–434. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9437(2007)133:5(427)

Haley, M.B., M.D. Dukes, S. Davis, M. Shedd, and B. Cardenas-Lailhacar. 2015. Energy Efficient Homes: The Irrigation System (EDIS-FCS3274). Available at: My Florida Home Energy. 2021. Water Conserving Irrigation. https://www.myfloridahomeenergy.com/help/library/water/irrigation/#sthash.06ntzxQ5.351Q0Ka4.dpbs

Harder, A. 2019. Using the TOP Model to Measure Program Performance: A Pocket Reference. WC092. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/wc092

Harder A. and R. Borger. 2019. Guidelines for Writing Quality Impact Statements for Workload and Marketing. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/WC241

International Bottling Water Association (IBWA). 2019. How Much Does Bottled Water Cost? Alexandria, VA: IBWA. https://bottledwater.org/how-much-does-bottled-water-cost/

Kipp Searcy, J., D. Bracciano, E. Foerste, and P. Jones. 2011. The Energy-Water Nexus: A Case Study of Tampa Bay Water. http://buildgreen.ufl.edu/IST%20Materials%20for%20Agents/Kipp_Energy_Water_Nexus.pdf

Lamm, A., G.D. Israel, D. Diehl, and A. Harder. 2017. Team-Based Evaluation of Extension Programs. WC118. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/wc118

Marella, R.L., 2020, Water withdrawals, uses, and trends in Florida, 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2019–5147, 52 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20195147

Raftelis Financial Consultants. 2022. 2022 Florida Water and Wastewater Rate Survey. https://www.raftelis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Florida-Rate-Survey_2022_v4.pdf

Russell, M., F. Alvarez, D. Dantin, M. Osland, J. Harvey, J. Nestlerode, J. Rogers, L. Jackson, D. Pilant, F. Genthner, M. Lewis, A. Spivak, M. Harwell, and A. Neale. 2013. Neighborhood Scale Quantification of Ecosystem Goods and Services. EPA/600/R-13/295. Washington, DC: EPA.

Taylor, N., K., Olander, R. Price, B. Spatz, T. Kyzar, and P. Jones. 2020. Florida H2OSAV Insights: Home Water Use In The Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) Service Territory. AE544. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-ae544-2020

University of Colorado Environmental Center. Undated. Water. Environmental Center, Division of Student Affairs, University of Colorado. https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/greening-cu/sustainable-buffs/water

University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). 2011. Shaping Solutions for Florida’s Future: The University of Florida Extension Roadmap 2013–2023. https://pdec.ifas.ufl.edu/roadmap/RoadmapOverview.pdf

University of Florida GeoPlan Center (UF GeoPlan Center). 2016. Water 2070 Mapping Florida’s Future – Alternative Patterns of Water Use in 2070. http://1000friendsofflorida.org/water2070/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/water2070technicalreportfinal-text-TOC.pdf

UF/IFAS. Undated(a). Guidelines for Writing Quality Impact Statements for Workload. https://pdec.ifas.ufl.edu/workload/ImpactGuidelines.pdf

UF/IFAS. Undated(b). Initiative & Priority Work Group Team Pages 2021. https://pdec.ifas.ufl.edu/hub/teams/

University of North Carolina (UNC) and Raftelis Financial Consultants. 2020. FL Water and Wastewater Rates Dashboard: Rates as of April 2020. https://efc.sog.unc.edu/resource/florida-water-and-wastewater-rates-dashboard

United States Energy Information Administration (EIA). 2020. Electricity explained: Use of electricity. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/use-of-electricity.php

United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). 2020. Sustainable Water Infrastructure. https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-water-infrastructure/energy-efficiency-water-utilities

United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). 2017. WaterSense: Why Water Efficiency. https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/www3/watersense/our_water/why_water_efficiency.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). 2015. WaterSense: Outdoor Water Use in the United States. https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/www3/watersense/pubs/outdoor.html

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2024 UF/IFAS