Water use, especially indoor use, in single‐family residences has declined since 1995 and is expected to continue to do so as new technologies enter the market. This conclusion is unavoidable when empirical data from residential end use studies dating back to 1995 are compared. Furthermore, the observed declines in indoor use are not related to economic conditions—the bulk of the data used for the analysis were taken before the 2008 recession. This article presents key data and findings from a 16‐year data collection effort and closely examines changes in water use over that time as well as the potential for additional residential demand reductions in the future. The demand data presented here show patterns in single‐family indoor and outdoor demands and provide a basis for future water supply planning and conservation program design.

Analyzing flow traces from residential water meters enabled researchers to collect precise data about water use by individual fixtures. Precise information about water use patterns can be gathered by analyzing flow traces obtained from residential customer water meters that are fitted with portable data loggers. Flow traces are precise enough that signatures associated with all major water use categories can be identified. For this study, more than 10,000 water use events were recorded, classified, and entered into a database. The technique is both accurate and reliable and can be used to collect time‐specific and disaggregated water use data. Measuring directly instead of inferring measurements from aggregated data is a quick and cost‐effective way to analyze water use patterns and directly assess how conservation measures influence water demand

Water budgets, volumetric allotments of water to customers based on customer‐specific characteristics and conservative resource standards, are an innovative means of improving water‐use efficiency. Once thought to be impractical because of technological constraints, water budgets linked with an increasing‐block rate structure have been implemented successfully by more than 20 utilities. Key issues identified in this examination of water budgets and their potential value to North American water utilities include: different practical approaches to water budget rate structures; the benefits and challenges of these approaches; the potential uses of water budgets during drought; and, important steps in the water budget implementation process.

Granular matrix soil moisture sensors were used to control urban landscape irrigation in Boulder, Colorado, during 1997. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness and reliability of the technology for water conservation. The 23 test sites included a traffic median, a small city park, and 21 residential sites. The results were very good. The system limited actual applications to an average of 73 percent of the theoretical requirement. This resulted in an average saving of $331 per installed sensor. The sensors were highly reliable. All 23 sensors were placed in service at least three years prior to the 1997 study during earlier studies. Of these, only two had failed by the beginning of the 1997 study, both due to external factors. Including replacement of these failed sensors, the total repair cost for the 1997 irrigation season was less than $270. The effort required to maintain each system was small, only about 6–7 minutes per visit. Each site was visited weekly for this study, but less frequent visits could be made in practice. The sensors observed in this study performed well, significantly reduced water consumption, and were easy to monitor and maintain. Soil moisture sensors appear to be a useful and economical tool for urban water conservation.