WATER-HEATING THROUGH ELECTRIC SHOWER AND ENERGY DEMAND

A significant part of the energy consumption in the residential segmen t is attributed to water heating. The types of fuel vary according to what is available on site; the technologies employed are also differen t, according to specifics of each country. Of all the final uses, wate r heating is responsible for a significant part of the consumption of residential energy. The different types of energy or fuel available in different countries, and the different technologies prevent us from a sserting which would be the best option for heating water. One of the most employed technologies is the heating by means of electric boilers -storage tanks. This type of heating is widely used, yet consumes larg e amounts of energy as a result of heat losses, the installation costs are high and the process may cause the development of Legionella pneu mophila. This somehow is not quite accurate since other intervening va riables ought to be taken into account. Another type of water heating system used, but less known, is the electric showerhead that consists of instantaneous water heater equipment. This type of equipment, widel y used in some developing countries, has a reasonable energetic effici ency at a very low cost. Therefore its advantages canceled out when th e issue of high demand of electric energy arises and the bacterium pro liferation case is questionable. The electric showerhead effect is her e presented by means of an investigation in low-income housing. (C) 19 98 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.