Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2019IL089B

Estimating residential hot water use from smart electricity data

Institute: Illinois
Year Established: 2019 Start Date: 2019-06-17 End Date: 2020-05-30
Total Federal Funds: $10,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $20,000

Principal Investigators: Ashlynn S. Stillwell

Project Summary: The energy-water nexus – the interdependence of energy and water resources – is especially pronounced in the residential environment. Residential water heating is among the most energy intensive aspects of the water sector, yet residential hot water use is often poorly quantified. Using smart electricity data from residential customers in greater Chicago and northern Illinois, we aim to estimate residential hot water use by disaggregating half-hourly meter-level electricity data for single-family households. We will use these meter-level estimates of household hot water use as a baseline informing a first-order estimate of population level residential hot water use. Results from the project will advance the body of knowledge regarding the residential energy-water nexus, educate communities on energy efficiency in water heating, and improve community resilience through enabling higher quality of life and highlighting areas with energy affordability concerns.