Are there any studies on the water usage of tiny homes? How do manufacturers determine the quantity of water a single house will use?
Bailey,
I did not find any scientific studies on water usage in tiny homes, searching on the internet and in scientific research databases.
I do not know what other builders methods of water usage computation are, I will explain mine though.
1. I make a list of the individuals that will be occupying the home on a regular basis and some notes on their normal behaviors.
2. I factor in some assumptions based on human physiology.
3. I gather the water consumption of all the fixtures I am calculating for.
4. I build a spreadsheet to assist me in my calculations.
Some things that I find are typical with most people I have talked to about water use issues.
-Most people bathe daily, water consumption can vary greatly. At my home our shower head uses 2.5 GPM (gallons per minute) and while my shower averages 8 minutes (8x2.5= 20 gallons of water used) my spouse takes an average of 17 minutes to shower and come out feeling clean and refreshed (17x2.5= 42.5 gallons) so our monthly water usages are considerably different (600 gallons vs. 1275 gallons)
-Most people use the restroom an average of 6-8 times per day at 2.5 gallons per flush that is 15-20 gallons per day.
-Clothes and dish washers differ wildly in water usage both from model to model and also based on the type of cycle selected.
-Handwashing dishes uses considerably less water than the comparable amount washed in a dishwasher, in my experience.
Our home of 3 uses about 6-10 thousand gallons of water per month where we live, a lot of it to water our garden and for bathing.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Chris Galusha
Are there any studies on the water usage of tiny homes? How do manufacturers determine the quantity of water a single house will use?
( I'm not interested on ways to cut down on water usage, but in data) Thank you
Bailey,
I did not find any scientific studies on water usage in tiny homes, searching on the internet and in scientific research databases.
I do not know what other builders methods of water usage computation are, I will explain mine though.
1. I make a list of the individuals that will be occupying the home on a regular basis and some notes on their normal behaviors.
2. I factor in some assumptions based on human physiology.
3. I gather the water consumption of all the fixtures I am calculating for.
4. I build a spreadsheet to assist me in my calculations.
Some things that I find are typical with most people I have talked to about water use issues.
-Most people bathe daily, water consumption can vary greatly. At my home our shower head uses 2.5 GPM (gallons per minute) and while my shower averages 8 minutes (8x2.5= 20 gallons of water used) my spouse takes an average of 17 minutes to shower and come out feeling clean and refreshed (17x2.5= 42.5 gallons) so our monthly water usages are considerably different (600 gallons vs. 1275 gallons)
-Most people use the restroom an average of 6-8 times per day at 2.5 gallons per flush that is 15-20 gallons per day.
-Clothes and dish washers differ wildly in water usage both from model to model and also based on the type of cycle selected.
-Handwashing dishes uses considerably less water than the comparable amount washed in a dishwasher, in my experience.
Our home of 3 uses about 6-10 thousand gallons of water per month where we live, a lot of it to water our garden and for bathing.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Chris Galusha
Thank you for your help, Chris!