Residential Water Consumption Patterns: A Theoretical Review

Abstract

The global water crisis and acute increase in water demand have increased stress on water resources in urban areas, particularly in water-scarce regions like Egypt. Many current strategies of sustainable water demand management show low effectiveness due to a lack of understanding of how water is used in households, and a failure to consider the environmental and urban diversity that shapes water consumption patterns in Egypt. This understanding requires knowing how water is consumed for micro-components of water use (i.e., end-uses such as bathing, cooking, and toilet use). This research aims to develop a conceptual/theoretical framework for probable worldwide water consumption patterns and their shaping factors, to be used as an auxiliary tool in future data collection and analysis in Egypt, which is an essential step to contextualize water consumption patterns and develop more sustainable water demand management strategies. The study reviews and analyzes water end-use data from 39 major cities in developed and developing countries to identify trends and critical factors in household water consumption. It documents six different major trends in household water consumption patterns with main water activities: cooking, bathing, washing machines, faucets, and toilet use. It also identifies and categorizes the patterns-shaping factors into five main groups: socioeconomic characteristics, physical, spatial, climatic conditions, and political restrictions. Moreover, significant correlations emerge between pattern elements and shaping forces such as income and washing machine usage, the presence/absence of children/elders and use of basin, and dietary culture and cooking consumption. Given the research findings, household consumption patterns in Egyptian cities are expected to be high in kitchens, showers, and toilets, and average in laundry and faucets. The study underscores the importance of considering factors such as socio-economic characteristics, water policies, spatial influences, water supply efficiency, and consumer health in forthcoming investigations, as these are believed to substantially influence household water consumption in Egypt.