Quantifying the potential of vo luntary energy efficiency measures: The case of flow restrictors

Ableitner L, Schöb S, Tiefenbeck V (2016)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2016

Publisher: Gesellschaft fur Informatik (GI)

Book Volume: P-259

Pages Range: 1399-1406

Conference Proceedings Title: Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI), Proceedings - Series of the Gesellschaft fur Informatik (GI)

Event location: Klagenfurt AT

ISBN: 9783885796534

Abstract

Aside from regulatory measures and price-based instruments, many governments use voluntary energy efficiency measures as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, both in the commercial and residential sector. In the domain of water heating - the second largest domestic energy end use - flow restrictors in showers are being contemplated as a dual-purpose policy instrument, to conserve energy and to tackle water scarcity. While the implementation of regulatory measures often faces fierce resistance by consumers and industry, also in the context of voluntary measures it is still unclear whether individuals do not simply compensate for low flow rates by taking longer showers (rebound effects). ICT can help to create more realistic estimates of the savings potential of these instruments. Based on a dataset of 5,610 individual showers, we assess the real-world influence of the flow rate on energy and water use and compare these numbers to the 45% reduction anticipated by engineering calculations. We find that users of low-flow shower heads do, indeed, take longer showers; nevertheless, they consume 38% (1.0 kWh) less energy per shower compared to the baseline level of 2.6 kWh. While more research on acceptance issues and potential biases is needed to assess the savings potential in case of mandatory measures, the findings have first important implications for policy makers and industry.

Involved external institutions

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) / Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich CH Switzerland (CH) Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Ableitner, L., Schöb, S., & Tiefenbeck, V. (2016). Quantifying the potential of vo luntary energy efficiency measures: The case of flow restrictors. In Heinrich C. Mayr, Martin Pinzger (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI), Proceedings - Series of the Gesellschaft fur Informatik (GI) (pp. 1399-1406). Klagenfurt, AT: Gesellschaft fur Informatik (GI).

MLA:

Ableitner, Liliane, Samuel Schöb, and Verena Tiefenbeck. "Quantifying the potential of vo luntary energy efficiency measures: The case of flow restrictors." Proceedings of the 46. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft fur Informatik - 46th Annual Meeting of the German Informatics Society, INFORMATIK 2016, Klagenfurt Ed. Heinrich C. Mayr, Martin Pinzger, Gesellschaft fur Informatik (GI), 2016. 1399-1406.

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