Every drop of water we use takes energy to pump, treat and distribute. Once in our homes we again use energy to heat, filter and soften water. Then energy is needed to treat the waste water once it leaves our homes. Using data from 2000 we determined that it takes an average of 2.7 KW hours to treat and distribute every gallon of water you use in your home. In other words, every time you flush the toilet you use the energy equivalence of running your vacuum cleaner for 15 hours.
In turn, every kW of electricity used takes an average of 24 gallons of water to produce. This is because 90% of US energy is produced by thermoelectric power plants which use enormous amounts of water for cooling. Therefore we use 3 times as much water to supply our daily electrical needs, than we use showering, washing clothes, etc.
, conserves energy and vice versa.It's a cycle! With this in mind we are making the case that decisions about energy alternatives can only be made when we look at the balance between energy reduction and its impact on water resources.
