United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Water Engineering
Research Laboratory
Cincinnati OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA/600/S2-85/017 Aug. 1985
Project Summary
Integration of Building and
Energy Technology with Onsite
Waste Management in the
Year 2000
Patricia L Deese, Lisa Heschong, and Winslow Fuller
A study was conducted to examine
the potential and feasibility of integrat-
ing waste management, water supply,
and onsite energy generation to
improve the efficiency of residential
units. Viable utility systems are pro-
jected for the year 2000 to serve typical
single-family residences in areas
beyond the reach of sanitary sewers.
The 1980 state of the art was assessed
as a basis for analysis, and integrated
onsite utilities were evaluated for feasi-
bility. Detailed analyses were per-
formed for the most promising cases.
Evaluations were based on quantities of
a resource saved rather than on costs,
since actual costs could not be realisti-
cally projected.
The study concludes that more effi-
cient use of resources to perform the
same tasks is the most cost effective
approach to reducing consumption.
Thus low-water-use fixtures, greater
insulation, more efficient furnaces, and
similar approaches show greater prom-
ise than reuse technologies such as
greywater heat recovery and reuse of
waste heat recapture.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Water Engineering Research
Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH, to announce
key findings of the research project that
is fully documented in a separate report
of the same title (see Project Report
ordering information at back).
Introduction
Rising fuel costs and recurring water
shortages throughout this country have
caused increasing demands for alterna-
tives to the standard household utility
system. The New England area, which
has been hard hit by the rising cost of
imported oil, has seen an unprecedented
growth inthe use of wood for space heat-
ing. The recent drought in California led
to the development of many unique water
reuse schemes. This study examines the
potential and feasibility of integrating
waste management, water supply, and
onsite energy generation to improve the
overall efficiency of residential units.
Significant, comprehensive utilities
research is being conducted in many
areas. This study therefore provides a
cross-disciplinary survey with particular
emphasis on integration. The staff for
this study reflected this approach and
included sanitary engineers, a resource
economist, a solar architect, and a
mechanical engineer-all with expertise
in the design of alternative residential
waste management and energy systems.
The full report will provide members of
the various research and development
communities with a sufficient under-
standing of other fields to foster an
appreciation of the potential costs and
benefits of various alternative
technologies.
Study Scope
The full report attempts to project for
the year 2000 viable utility systems for
the typical single-family residence in
rural and suburban areas that are beyond
the projected reach of sanitary sewers. A
range of residential units were exam-
ined, including market houses, mobile
homes, custom homes, and small, multi-
unit structures.
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An assessment of the 1980 state of the
art provided the basis for further analysis.
Projections of resource availability and
residential patterns were evaluated to
determine the most likely setting for new
residential construction in the year 2000.
Conclusions
The typical 1980 residential construc-
tion is inefficient in terms of both enery
and water consumption. This study con-
cludes that more efficient use of resour-
ces to perform the same tasks is the most
cost effective approach to reducing con-
sumption. Thus low-water-use fixtures,
greater insulation, more efficient furna-
ces, and similar approaches show
greater promise than reuse technologies
such as greywater heat recovery and
reuse of waste heat recapture.
Recommendations
The chief recommendation of this
study is to implement water-efficient
technologies and to improve the perfor-
mance of traditional onsite wastewater
technologies under the resulting low-
flow conditions. Most nontraditional
water and wastewater systems are either
quite complex or designed to serve a very
specialized market. Thus research in this
area should receive a low priority, at least
until the benefits of water-efficient tech-
nologies have been fully explored.
Modifying structures to facilitate
source separation of recyclable materials
for collection from home is one area of
traditional solid waste management that
has been identified for further research.
Additional research on using wastepaper
as an auxiliary fuel should receive prior-
ity. Increased use of biodegradable solid
wastes in food production should also be
examined.
Three approaches are recommended
for reducing resource consumption:
1. Improve the efficiency of the
equipment.
2. Recycle the resource onsite.
3. Cycle the resource from a higher
to a lower use.
The full report was submitted in fulfill-
ment of Contract 68-03-2893 by Urban
Systems Research and Engineering, Inc.,
Cambridge, MA, under the sponsorship
of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
Patricia L Deese. Lisa Heschong, and Winslow Fuller were with Urban Systems
Research and Engineering. Inc. during the time of this study.
Robert P. G. Bowker was the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Integration of Building and Energy Technology with
Onsite Waste Management in the Year 2000," (Order No. PB 85-180 479/AS;
Cost: $16.00. subject to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield. VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA contact person is James F. Kreissl who may be reached at:
Water Engineering Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA/600/S2-85/017
QCQG329 PS
U S ENVIR
AGfNCY
•&U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1985—559-01b/27108
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