Sustainable Water Management in Buildings: Case Studies From Europe (Water Science and Technology Library, 90)

This book expands the body of scientific knowledge on research and solutions for alternative water systems. It addresses a wide variety of water management issues in buildings, ranging from the technical possibilities, hydraulic and financial efficiency, and public acceptance of decentralized water systems, to their impact on sewage systems. Climate changes, population growth, and progressive urbanization are the main causes of the growing interest in alternative sources of water around the world. Decentralized systems are seen not only as solutions that can effectively save water, but also as systems that can operate partially or completely independently of centralized suppliers. With these aspects in mind, the main focus of this book is on showcasing a new approach to water management at the building scale. The findings and insights presented here will support the development of future technical guidelines for using alternative water systems in urban areas – an aspect that is particularly important since, in many European countries, these systems are only very rarely used. Preface 6 Acknowledgements 8 Contents 9 Abbreviations 11 1 Introduction 12 1.1 Background 12 1.2 The Purpose and the Scope of the Work 18 References 18 2 Water Resources 24 References 30 3 Demand for Water in the Building 31 References 41 4 Alternative Water Resources 43 4.1 Rainwater Harvesting 43 4.1.1 The Characteristics of Rainwater 43 4.1.2 Technical Aspects of the Use of Rainwater 46 4.2 Graywater Recycling 56 4.2.1 The Characteristics of Gray water 56 4.2.2 Graywater Recycling Systems 58 References 68 5 Research on the Effectiveness of Systems with Alternative Water Sources for Buildings Located in Selected European Countries 71 5.1 Simulation Model of the Rainwater Harvesting System 71 5.2 The Efficiency of Rainwater Harvesting System 79 5.3 The Impact of Rainfall on Volumetric Reliability—Dry Year and Wet Year 100 5.4 Model of Graywater Recycling System 104 References 107 6 Research on the Financial Effectiveness of Alternative Water Supply Systems in European Countries 108 6.1 Life Cycle Cost Methodology 108 6.2 Variants of Sustainable Water Management in Buildings 112 6.3 Case Studies 113 6.4 Analysis Results 119 6.4.1 Results of Life Cycle Cost Analysis 119 6.4.2 The Impact of Life Span 126 6.5 Sensitivity Analysis 132 References 138 7 The Impact of Rainwater Harvesting on a Drainage System and a Catchment 140 7.1 Study Area 141 7.2 Results of Hydrodynamic Simulations 144 References 148 8 Awareness and Acceptance of the Public Regarding Alternative Water Sources 149 8.1 A Description of Research Methodology 150 8.2 Survey Results and Their Analysis 150 8.2.1 Research Group Analysis 150 8.2.2 Possibilities of Using Alternative Sources in a Building 153 References 175 9 Summary and Final Conclusions 176 Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Introduction (Agnieszka Stec)....Pages 1-12 Water Resources (Agnieszka Stec)....Pages 13-19 Demand for Water in the Building (Agnieszka Stec)....Pages 21-32 Alternative Water Resources (Agnieszka Stec)....Pages 33-60 Research on the Effectiveness of Systems with Alternative Water Sources for Buildings Located in Selected European Countries (Agnieszka Stec)....Pages 61-97 Research on the Financial Effectiveness of Alternative Water Supply Systems in European Countries (Agnieszka Stec)....Pages 99-130 The Impact of Rainwater Harvesting on a Drainage System and a Catchment (Agnieszka Stec)....Pages 131-139 Awareness and Acceptance of the Public Regarding Alternative Water Sources (Agnieszka Stec)....Pages 141-167 Summary and Final Conclusions (Agnieszka Stec)....Pages 169-175