Even homes with similar water-consuming devices can have very different water consumption patterns. Water use depends on occupant behavior, where the home is located, and how the home is built. Understanding the variables that influence water use is the foundation for identifying the most effective, personalized ways to reduce water-related costs.
The number of people living in a home and their behavior with water usage are two main influencers of overall water consumption. More occupants generally means more showers, handwashing, laundry, dishwashing, and toilet use.
Daily habits such as shower length, laundry frequency, and dishwashing methods significantly influence water usage. For example, a smaller household with long showers and frequent laundry may use more water than a larger household with efficient habits and appliances. Understanding occupancy and behavior helps identify opportunities where small changes can lead to significant savings.
Local climate strongly influences how much water a home uses, especially outdoors. Homes in hot, dry regions typically use more water for landscaping and cooling (for evaporative coolers), while homes in cooler or wetter climates may use less outdoor water but more hot water indoors.
Climate also affects seasonal water use. Heat waves increase showering, laundry, and cooling needs, while droughts can restrict outdoor watering. Freezing temperatures raise the risk of pipe damage and leaks, and colder outdoor temperatures lower the temperature of the water that is piped to your home. With colder inlet water temperatures, water heaters need to use more energy to reach a given hot water temperature.
New or renovated homes often have better performing plumbing systems. Newer pipes are less likely to have mineral buildup (which restricts water flow) and are less likely to leak. Newer homes tend to have more optimal piping designs; longer, less efficiently-designed piping can have unnecessarily long pipe runs, which causes water to be wasted while people wait for hot water to arrive at fixtures.
Smaller homes tend to have shorter pipe runs, again savings on wasted water and wasted heat. Apartments tend to have fewer pipes that travel along exterior walls, keeping water pipes better insulated from outdoor temperatures.