About this course
This course is about using the Water Use Model to model water consumption in buildings to improve water efficiency and sustainability performance.
The Water Use Model (WUM) enables the water consumption of buildings to be modelled. Technical performance of water delivery devices and equipment are combined with use schedules and occupancy rates to indicate water consumption in the building per person and per m2 of the building. This allows performance to evaluated against benchmarks.
The tool also enables different types of water delivery devices and equipment, schedule and occupancy rates to substituted and the implications of this ascertained.
The tool is easy and quick to use and can be used to provide invaluable insight and guidance on how to achieve highly water-efficient buildings.
What this course offers
The course will show you how you can use the WUM to assess existing buildings and proposed designs for buildings. It will also show how different options can be rapidly modelled to achieve an optimum water efficient design.
What you will learn
The course covers the following topics.
1. Why is water important?
Under climate change and drier conditions water is becoming more scarce in many parts of the world. At the same time water is essential for life and a functioning economy. The course provides a context for why is water efficient buildings must be achieved.
2. How do you model water use in buildings?
The Water Use Model is introduced. Water uses in buildings, as indicated in the list below, are introduced to show how these can be understood and modelled.
- Toilets
- Urinals
- Wash hand basins
- Showers
- Kitchen use
- Laundry
- Irrigation
- Env control
- Fire testing
- Cleaning
3. Applying the Water Use Model to improve water efficiency in buildings?
The course shows how to interpret reports from the WUM to identify opportunities for improved water efficiency. The testing and evaluation of these options are demonstrated to support iterative methodologies which can be applied to achieve optimum designs.
How you will learn
The course is online and you will be able to access the following resources
- Course presentation
- Course book
- Course quiz
- Templates and guides
- Course work
- Additional reading
The course is self-paced and you can work through the material in your own time. Course numbers are capped, so the length of access to courses will be limited to provide access to new participants. However, we aim to provide access for at least 1 month.
Course certificate
A course certificate can be provided should you wish to receive formal confirmation of your successful completion of the course. For this, you must download and apply tools and guides provided and submit coursework. This will be reviewed by the Course Instructor and, where requirements are met, a course certificate will be issued.
What do I need to attend the course?
You will need access to the Internet and a Gmail account with a password to access the course.
Who developed the course?
The course was developed by Instructors who have designed and run management and technical courses for the United Nations, government departments, universities, professional bodies and community organisations.
Accessing the course, course books, tools and guides
Access to the course enables you to view the presentations, the course book, tools and guides, the additional reading, the coursework and take the quiz. You can access the online courses through the shop. Online live and tailored courses are also held from time-to-time, if you are interested in these please register here.
Course books, tools and guides can be viewed online during the course. If you would like to download and use these, these can be accessed through the shop.