Within the research field of urban water demand management, understanding the link between environmental and water conservation attitudes and observed end use water consumption has been limited. Through a mixed method research design incorporating field-based smart metering technology and questionnaire surveys, this paper reveals the relationship between environmental and water conservation attitudes and a domestic water end use break down for 132 detached households located in Gold Coast city, Australia. Using confirmatory factor analysis, attitudinal factors were developed and refined; households were then categorised based on these factors through cluster analysis technique. Results indicated that residents with very positive environmental and water conservation attitudes consumed significantly less water in total and across the behaviourally influenced end uses of shower, clothes washer, irrigation and tap, than those with moderately positive attitudinal concern. The paper concluded with implications for urban water demand management planning, policy and practice.

Assessing water savings in households using efficient devices and how savings vary between 35 different sectors of the community requires high resolution end use water consumption data 36 (i.e. disaggregating water use for showers, toilets, clothes washers and garden irrigation etc.). 37 This paper reports selected findings from the Gold Coast Residential End Use Study 38 (Australia), which focussed on the relationship between a range of socio-demographic and 39 household stock efficiency variables and water end use consumption levels. A mixed 40 methods approach was executed using qualitative and quantitative data. The study provided 41 evidence as to the potential savings derived from efficient appliances as well as sociodemographic clusters having higher water consumption across end uses. The payback period for some water efficient devices was also explored. The study has implications for urban water demand management planning and forecasting.

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A novel mixed method smart metering approach to reconciling differences between perceived and actual residential end use water consumption.