Water Delivery System Makes Up 12.6 Percent of US Energy
Consumption
Consumer Energy Report
1 November 2012
A team of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin has
released a detailed report on energy use in water delivery to
citizens of the United States, finding that no less than 12.6
percent of the nation’s total annual energy consumption is devoted
to the task.
Published in September’s issue of Environmental Research Letters,
a peer-reviewed scientific journal of the highest standing, the
report details the investigation conducted by the team as they
traced water from its source to the taps of average American
households and back again.
[Report and video at: http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/3/034034]
The study focused on each aspect of water delivery, including
pumping from natural sources, building and maintaining reservoirs,
treating the water for safety and then pumping it to individual
residences and businesses, including those in the industrial
sector.
At its end, the study found that water treatment and delivery is
one of the most expensive public endeavors in the United States,
requiring an amount of annual energy equivalent to the annual
consumption of 40 million Americans. The sheer expense of
maintaining and delivering fresh water serves to underscore just
how precious that commodity is, potentially leading government
policy towards saving water in the name of simultaneously saving
energy.
“Energy and water security are achievable, and with careful
planning, we can greatly reduce the amount of water used to
produce energy, and the amount of energy used to provide and use
water,” said Michael E. Webber, associate professor of mechanical
engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and the director
of this research project.
“In particular, our report shows that because there is so much
energy embedded in water, saving water might be a cost-effective
way to save energy.” (See more: World Energy Consumption Facts,
Figures, and Shockers)
The data used in the study was obtained from the U.S. Energy
Information Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy and several
private sources.
Source: Water Delivery Accounts for 12.6 Percent of U.S. Energy
Consumption: Report:
http://www.consumerenergyreport.com/2012/10/31/water-delivery-accounts-for-12-6-percent-of-u-s-energy-consumption-report/
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2012/1101/Water-delivery-system-makes-up-12.6-percent-of-US-energy-consumption-report