Abu Dhabi: Tap use is the largest component of domestic water consumption in Abu Dhabi villas, with car washing amounting to a higher tap use and dishwashers slightly reducing this use.

The factual results of a study showed that tap use was the largest component of domestic water consumption, amounting to 34.3 per cent of average daily household consumption. The other major categories were shower use (21.1 per cent), toilet use (19.4 per cent ) and washing of clothes (11 per cent). Homes that reported washing cars at home had a 13 per cent higher tap use, while homes that used dishwashers reduced tap use by 2 per cent.

This was revealed by Waterwise, a part of the Abu Dhabi Regulation and Supervision Bureau (the Bureau), in its results of Residential End Use of Water project (REUW).

The bureau is the independent regulatory body for the water, wastewater and electricity sector of the emirate. The project aimed to collect and analyse residential water end use data in details revealed the results on Monday at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

The trial ran for approximately 18 months, and involved the recruitment and smart metering of 150 medium sized villas in preselected gated communities in Abu Dhabi. The study indicated that controlling water leakage and managing irrigation practices are two key sources of water savings.

Each of the 150 participating villas was fitted with a meter and data logger capable of remotely transferring data. Using the latest technology, data was collected every 10 seconds at a resolution of 0.05 litres per pulse, enabling very precise results. This made it possible to break down the water use in the homes into individual water use events, and to categorise the events by end-use. All the data received was then analysed.

Commenting on the project, Khadija Bin Braik, Head of Waterwise, said: “The residential sector in Abu Dhabi consumes around 50 per cent of the desalinated water produced for the emirate. The project’s results and data will help inform decisions and strategies for future water management and conservation programmes in Abu Dhabi.”

She said changing consumption habits is crucial. “Water is a precious resource that we need to conserve and save to ensure a sustainable future for our emirate,” Khadija said.