Ashlynn Stillwell from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is studying how water efficiency measures can support energy savings. The American Geophysical Union (AGU) blog published a story about her work.
Stillwell’s research is quantifying the water and energy savings potential from specific efficiency measures that can be implemented readily at the residential and academic/research building scale. The project intends to determine, in cost-constrained environments, what trade-offs provide the best cost-performance results for coupled water and energy savings.
Results reveal suitable energy/water efficiency measures in buildings that meet both performance and cost-effectiveness standards. These energy/water efficiency investments can benefit utilities (both energy and water) in promoting incentive or education programs, as well as society in reducing demands. The study revealed that the right combination of appliances could reduce a home’s energy cost by about 40 percent or water consumption by about 30 percent.
“Electricity has water associated with it, even though it isn’t wet,” said Ashlynn Stillwell, an engineering professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and principal investigator of the study. Read more about Stillwell’s research.