The design and implementation of a smart home for water conservation with onsite rainwater harvesting

Abstract Sustainable, reliable, and equitable delivery of potable water to all individuals is critical for maintaining a healthy and stable society. Communities across the globe are increasingly struggling to meet potable water demand due to growing populations, increased standards of living, and increasing use in agriculture and industry. Additionally, diminished supply and potential damage resulting from natural disasters with greater impacts and changing frequencies places a greater strain on centralized infrastructure. This work details the Home Utility Management System (HUMS), which was designed to mitigate these challenges through decentralized, sustainable, and reliable delivery of potable water to a single residence. The HUMS includes a rainwater harvest system for decentralized water collection, instrumentation for monitoring water availability and use, and custom software with eco-feedback. We integrate weather forecast data into our software, which is a novel approach among smart home studies. Our software visualizes water consumption, availability, and predictions at the residential level. Our algorithms combine water use and weather forecast data to deliver actionable water conservation suggestions. We demonstrate that our software design is feasible and that our algorithms are sensitive to water use patterns. Our custom software and its graphical user interface incorporate best practices and recommendations for user engagement. Future work will examine how the HUMS influences user behavior through selecting participants to engage with HUMS for extended periods of time. User evaluation of the HUMS is a critical step toward broader adoption and will determine if the HUMS can provide reliable clean water access in an evolving world.