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national multiple family submetering and allocation billing program ...

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Table 5.17 Model #2 coefficients <strong>and</strong> significance of independent variables<br />

Independent Variable B* Std. Error t P-value<br />

(Constant) 19.95 4.61 4.323 .000<br />

Property was built before 1995 10.84 2.29 4.736 .000<br />

Property is a senior citizen/retirement<br />

community<br />

-6.70 2.56 -2.618 .009<br />

Property has a play area 6.80 1.94 3.513 .000<br />

Property has a cooling tower 11.55 3.31 3.493 .001<br />

Property is a rental † 6.84 1.74 3.926 .000<br />

Property is billed through RUBS method 0.39 1.98 0.197 .844<br />

Property is submetered -7.96 2.47 -3.225 .001<br />

Average commodity charge for<br />

water/wastewater ‡ -2.01 .28 -7.072 .000<br />

Average number of bedrooms per unit ‡ 17.44 1.54 11.313 .000<br />

Dependent Variable: Indoor water use per unit (average 2001, 2002)<br />

* Represents the magnitude of each independent variable in kgal per year per dwelling unit.<br />

†<br />

Rentals include private <strong>and</strong> government subsidized rentals. (Non-rentals include condominiums, private resident<br />

owned, <strong>and</strong> other).<br />

‡<br />

Continuous variables, change is seen for every dollar or bedroom added.<br />

Besides <strong>submetering</strong>, seven other independent variables in the model were also<br />

statistically significant. Properties built before 1995 used 10.8 kgal per unit more than properties<br />

built after 1995 – this is presumably largely the result of the high efficient plumbing fixtures<br />

(toilets, showerheads, <strong>and</strong> faucet aerators) m<strong>and</strong>ated for new construction by the 1992 Energy<br />

Policy Act (EPACT). The average number of bedrooms per unit is a reasonable surrogate for the<br />

number of people living in each dwelling unit. These models suggest that for every additional<br />

bedroom water use is increased by an average of about 17.4 kgal per unit. Rental properties<br />

used 6.8 kgal per unit more than non-rental properties (condominiums, private resident owned,<br />

<strong>and</strong> other). Properties classified as senior citizen or retirement communities used 6.7 kgal per<br />

unit less than st<strong>and</strong>ard mixed-age multi-<strong>family</strong> properties. Properties that reported having a play<br />

area used 6.8 kgal per unit more than properties without that amenity. The presence of a cooling<br />

tower increased per unit water use 11.6 kgal per unit. For every dollar more that a utility charged<br />

per thous<strong>and</strong> gallons of water <strong>and</strong> wastewater, a property’s water use would decrease by 2.0 kgal<br />

per unit per year.<br />

It should be noted that all of the beta coefficients in Table 5.17 are additive <strong>and</strong> provide a<br />

method to estimate annual water usage for a given property. The generic equation for Model #2<br />

follows the same logic as was outlined in the section on Model #1. For example, if there is a<br />

property that was built after 1995, has a play area, is a rental, is not individually billed for water<br />

162

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