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Demand for Water under Dynamic Conditions
Author(s) -
Hanke Steve H.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr006i005p01253
Subject(s) - metering mode , metre , environmental science , water use , agricultural economics , hydrology (agriculture) , economics , engineering , geotechnical engineering , mechanical engineering , physics , astronomy , ecology , biology
An empirical analysis of the effects on residential water use of changing from a flat rate price structure to a metered one is presented. Time series data, for the first time, are used to study the dynamics of residential water demand. The results include the observations that: (1) sprinkling demands were reduced by the introduction of meters, with actual sprinkling being greater than the calculated ideal under flat rates and less than ideal under metered rates; (2) sprinkling use not only declined with the introduction of meters but subsequently continued to decline; (3) domestic demands (in‐house) were reduced by 36% after meter installation; and (4) domestic demands stabilized at these lower levels. The evidence generated by the analysis demonstrates that water users do not return to their old use patterns after meters are installed, and that metering results in a permanent and significant improvement in water use efficiency.