Water–energy nexus for Birmingham, UK

Abstract

Water conservation and energy conservation are two sides of the same coin. Climate change effects on water–energy of Birmingham within the next century require a vast range of measures, energy policies and incentives to be implemented in the region. Assessing these energy-related policies helps depict a good vision of the current opportunities for water–energy efficiency for households and businesses of the region. Reductions through changing consumption behaviour by moving towards smarter and more efficient choices could have a remarkable potential to reduce water–energy consumption in Birmingham. This reduction potential, that could help deliver Birmingham's 2026 target, has been investigated to find how much the behaviour of individual consumers in water–energy consumption has influenced the water, energy and carbon dioxide emissions of Birmingham. Evaluating the current actions and incentive policies with a focus on sustainable actions for vulnerable areas of the city to curb inefficient water and energy (WE) consumption helps better understand the trajectory towards having a sustainable city. This research study gives a comprehensive view of the WE situation in Birmingham and also finds the most efficient choices and policies, which can go along with the current works towards the sustainable target of the city.