The washing machine versus the Israeli shower: who uses more water?

The average Israeli turns on the faucet 19 times a day, and his daily water consumption is 123 liters. Technion researchers presented at the conference of the Grand Institute for Water Research a unique algorithm that segments private water consumption habits

Technion researchers from the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering have developed an algorithm that maps household water consumption and offers a model for reducing it. The system was developed by the researchers as part of a comprehensive study taking place at the Technion in collaboration with the IFAK Institute (Institut für Automation und Kommunikation) from Magdeburg in Germany, and examines the effect of recycling and saving water in residential buildings on the municipal wastewater system.

As part of the research, which was recently presented at the Water Research Conference in Israel - the second conference for research students of the Grand Institute for Water Research at the Technion, a system was built that monitors and catalogs water usage automatically, and provides information on the distribution of water consumption in real time. In a study conducted under the guidance of Professor Eran Friedler from the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Technion, student Dennis Steinberg examined the distribution of domestic water consumption at the level of the individual device. Using the computerized algorithm for identifying and characterizing the water consumption of each "water consuming" device in the home that he developed, Steinberg mapped the water consumption patterns in the monitored residential apartments. Using data obtained from a single sensor (developed as part of the research) based on a water meter and a data logger installed in each of the apartments, the developed algorithm knows how to identify the type of consumption at any given moment - is it washing hands, a washing machine, flushing a toilet, etc.

And here are the conclusions: an average person opens the faucet about 19 times a day during the week, and his daily water consumption is 123 liters (101 liters without garden watering), and on weekends it increases by about 20 liters more. 3:00 at night is the 'dead time' for water consumption, 7:00 in the morning is the peak time, and between 18:00 pm and midnight there is a very high consumption. The shower, which takes up a total of 4% of the number of "water events" per day, is the biggest consumer of water; The taps occupy 76% of the total events but only 18% of the total consumption volume; And watering a garden (if any) increases the total consumption of each tenant by 17%.

And what about the washing machine, where the water rolls for a long time? Here is the answer: the washing machine consumes only 8% of the water volume in the middle of the week and 9.8% at the weekend.

"The research was based on 16 volunteer families, living in apartments and single-family houses," explains Steinberg, "with the help of the algorithm we developed, each consumer receives a map of their water consumption and thus they can optimize their use and save water. If funding is found, we will be happy to expand the study to a larger group." "This is a joint Israeli-German research, which takes place within the framework of a joint fund for the German and Israeli ministries of science." said Professor Eran Friedler. "Its main goals are to learn how and where water can be saved, and to understand the potential of water recycling and the use of gray water and its impact on the municipal wastewater system. The algorithm developed by Denis will allow us to better understand the distribution of domestic water needs and to recommend how to increase water saving and water reuse at the level of the individual house."