Custo adicional da implementação de medidas de uso racional de água para habitação de interesse social

Abstract

Potable water savings and the construction of social housing have been two important topics of Brazilian current affairs. The first one has received more attention since the southeast region's water crisis of 2014. In the light of that, public authorities are promoting policies that encourage reduction of potable water usage and the implementation of alternative sources of water in building environment. Moreover, the construction of social housing has increased in order to make up for the housing shortage of the less wealthy. For those reasons, this research seeks to determine the additional cost of rational water use measurements in social housing. The methodology used was a comparison between the budget of a proposed project which contemplated rational water use measurements and the budget of a conventional project (without these measurements). The conventional project used was built in 2013, thus the results can be effectively applied to similar constructions. The following measurements were proposed: replacement of traditional bathroom fixtures for similar ones of lower flow, and implementation of rainwater harvesting for non-potable uses and subsequent use for non-potable purposes. The results obtained in this research showed that the cost for the implementation of rational water use measurements was in R$ 1171,39, that corresponds to about 3% of the total cost of the construction without this measures. Therefore, the conclusion is that certainly the rational water use measurements proposed have proved themselves technically and economically viable in social housing projects. Considering the additional benefits reaped due to the decreased potable water consumption there is the reduction on the monthly water bill for the residents and greater availability of water to the community. Therefore, it is relevant the use of this measurements in social housing projects.