Water savings in buildings has become a matter of concern due to water
demand increase in cities and to problems with water quality and availability. This
chapter presents the state of the art on water savings in buildings in Brazil. Journal and
conference papers, reports and theses published from 2003 to 2016 were reviewed.
First, in order to show the main shortage problems faced by Brazilian people, the
national panorama of water resources is shown. Then, papers about the use of
rainwater, water quality, potential for potable water savings, investment feasibility
analysis, greywater reuse and water-efficient appliances are also addressed. Water enduses
in buildings, environmental education, and national water savings support
programmes are also presented. It was observed that there is a high potential for
potable water savings in buildings by using rainwater for non-potable purposes in
Brazil.
Keywords: Alternative water sources, Brazil, Environmental education,
Greywater, National programmes, Payback, Rainwater, Sizing, Social
acceptability, Water end-uses, Water-efficient appliances, Water savings, Water
quality.
