The Impact of Urban Water Use on Energy Consumption and Climate Change: A Case Study of Household Water Use in Beijing

Yuan Sheng Chen, Lu Li, Lei Jiang, Caitlin Grady, Xin Hui Li

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Water use and energy consumption are intrinsically linked. Understanding the energy consumption linkages in urban water end use is useful in the integrated management of water and energy, amplifying the potential for energy saving by water conservation and thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions of cities. This reduction in energy and emissions in combination with other efforts can contribute to mitigating climate change. This chapter studies the conditions of energy consumption in household water use in urban Beijing by combining two methods: energy use measurements and random sampling social behavior survey. This research analyzes the characteristics of household water end use and estimates the energy intensity of household water use in summer and winter in Beijing. The main conclusions of this study are as follows: about 70% of the energy consumed in household water use lies in bathing, and the energy use related to washing varies remarkably in summer and winter; on average, the energy intensity of household water use in Beijing is 5.94 kWh/m3 in summer and 9.78 kWh/m3 in winter; in 2010, the total amount of energy use of household water use in Beijing is about 4.88 × 109 kWh, which accounts for 0.9% of Beijing’s total energy consumption. The conclusions show a great potential for energy conservation in household water saving.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationHandbook of Environmental Chemistry
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages169-197
Number of pages29
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013

Publication series

NameHandbook of Environmental Chemistry
Volume25
ISSN (Print)1867-979X

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Global and Planetary Change
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Pollution

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