Abstract
This thesis describes research carried out into two aspects of water services in buildings. In both cases data on the demand imposed on the services by the users was analysed and computer simulation techniques used to investigate performance parameters. In the first application the use of toilets and wash-basins in school and office cloakrooms was studied, with a view first to establishing the standard of service provided by the regulations governing their provision and secondly to suggesting any necessary improvements. Data was collected on levels of demand and on the way in which the facilities were utilised and was then used as input data to a computer simulation model. This model was used to predict levels of performance for different numbers of appliances under different demand conditions. Revised scales of provision have been proposed which would lead to changes in the required numbers of appliances while maintaining a consistent standard of service. The effects on the demand for water to the cloakroom were also investigated. The second application was to the use of water in the home. A system had been designed in which warm waste water from the bath, hand-basin and washing-machine was taken to a tank where energy could be extracted to pre-heat the supply to the hot water cylinder. The waste water could then be used to flush the WC, thus saving water as well as energy. The research comprised the development of a computer simulation model of the system and its use to test the viability of the system over a range of conditions. The model was developed by reference to a laboratory prototype rig which is also described. A separate computer program used data on demand for the various water-using appliances to generate realistic patterns of demand as data for the main model.