San Diego imports 80 to 90 percent of its water supply, depending on conditions during any particular year. This high level of imports and low diversity of water supply have combined with climate change to generate an urgent need for increased conservation and diversification of San Diego's water supply. Water reuse is one option to mitigate this problem. An attempt was made in the early 1990s to recycle wastewater but the public reacted badly due to a combination of bad public relations, perceived environmental justice issues, and a psychological phenomenon called the yuck factor. With improved public relations and education, the project might go through this year.

The potential to supplement the potable water supply with highly treated municipal wastewater, or sewage, is of increasing interest to water managers and planners in many parts of the world. Seen as an option of last resort as recently as the late 1990s, today engineers commonly consider potable water reuse projects to be as safe as, if not safer than, conventionally sourced drinking water supplies. Nevertheless, only a few cities across the world intentionally augment drinking water supplies with highly treated wastewater. The objective of my dissertation is to examine the governance of potable recycled water planning to better understand how potable recycling projects emerge as a water management strategy. Political aspects of planned potable reuse are often recognized, and even lamented by water planners and industry experts. However, there is a paucity of research that empirically analyzes the political aspects that influence public decisions on potable water projects. This study asks: how are potable water projects made, shaped, and frustrated? To examine the governance arrangements of this emerging water management strategy this research project considers three critical issues: (1) public values and social pressure, (2) the political, legal, and institutional contexts, and (3) the role of subjectivity in defining facts, themes, and solutions. As part of this study I use Q Methodology to explore shared attitudes regarding the principles that should govern the future of planned potable reuse. The overall analyses support the notion that there is more than one way to understand and approach potable water recycling, and that socially-held viewpoints are informed by social-spatial practices. The results reveal two distinct "common sense" shared ways of thinking that pivot on ideas about the appropriate technology and reflect contested visions of ideal society. My dissertation is the first to apply Q Methodology to water recycling in the United States, and I use it to examine the subjective preferences of people who participate in water recycling operations or planning. Results indicate that there are at least two commonly held viewpoints concerning the future of planned potable water recycling, which I have labeled "neosanitarian" and "ecosanitarian." Drawing upon tenets established in the Progressive Era, neosanitarians strongly believe that potable water recycling is a safe, feasible, and appropriate way to expand urban water supplies. Drawing upon tenets established in ecology, ecosanitarians are not opposed to potable water recycling, however they are also interested in radical alternatives to the sanitary status quo. Both neosanitarians and ecosanitarians want to see a more sustainable approach to water planning, yet they disagree on what a more sustainable approach actually looks like in practice. For example, neosanitarians favor microfiltration and advanced wastewater treatment, while ecosanitarians prefer composting toilets and preventative actions. Both neosanitarians and ecosanitarians accept potable reuse as a workable solution, yet there are deep divisions between the two regarding the appropriate scale of technology, the proper level of public participation, and the root cause of water scarcity. While there is wide-spread agreement on certain ends (e.g., sustainability, potable reuse), there is serious disagreement about the appropriate the means to getting there (e.g., appropriate technology, level of public participation). The results illustrate how different "ways of seeing the world" contribute to the technological choices that define appropriate behavior, which, in turn, produces different kinds of communities and environments, and conditions the range of political possibilities.

The following dissertation will consider the contemporary education of natural languages and explore its influences on designed space in an urban environment. The concept of weaving cultures together by using languages will be investigated in order to produce an architectural intervention of amalgamated infill and voids. The structure of natural languages willl be used as a departure point to propose a public facility on the University of Pretoria's main campus. This facility will fit into a network of public gathering spaces proposed in the area, and will be in the form of an interactive learning and information space that will provide the users with an opportunity to engage in intercultural cross pollination in various languages. The site was selected for its ability to enable the opportunity for social interaction and design exploration, and it is significantly located at a point where two major urban grid patterns touch each other. The proposed design celebrates this concept of convergence in which voids between cultures are filled with understanding. The success of the proposed project will depend on the ability of the language learning centre to integrate with the urban fabric and most importantly, facilitate the education of language, communication and cultural interaction. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Architecture / unrestricted

Water cost is one of the key deterrents in making algal biofuels a feasible alternative to traditional petroleum fuels. Research into recycling of algal media was conducted in a laboratory setting at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. A growth assay was created to allow for algal cultures, specifically Ward’s Chlorella sp., to proliferate in sealed culture vessels. Bold’s Basal Medium (BBM) was selected as the media due to its extensive use with freshwater algal strains. However, this medium can limit algal growth through nutrient limitation and it became necessary to augment the original recipe. 50mM of sodium bicarbonate was added to the media in order to buffer the purging of 100% CO2 into the culture vessel. The resultant pH of the CO2 saturated media was 6.25. The elemental? composition of Chlorella vulgaris was compared with the nutrient content of BBM to estimate possible nutrient limitations which could occur throughout growth (Oh Hama, 1988). From this analysis, the nitrogen and phosphorus concentration in BBM was augmented by a factor of three (BBM3N3P). Further, vitamins, specifically cyanocobalamin, thiamine HCL, and biotin, were incorporated after conducting a comparison growth study with BBM 3N3P. The average maximum specific growth rates for the normal BBM and for the vitamin-enhanced BBM were 0.689 +/- 0.0818 and 0.887 +/- 0.1901 (mean +/- std. deviation) per day, respectively. This difference was proved significant by a t-test with a p-value equal to 0.041. A standardized methodology for conducting a regrowth potential experiment was outlined by the research. One phase of this methodology included reintroduction of nutrients consumed during the first round of growth. Prior to continuing with this methodology the effect of supplementing trace metals and micronutrients into the culture was investigated. At a p-value of 0.0956, there was no significant difference between BBM 3N3P + vitamins and the same media with eight times the trace metal and micronutrient concentration. This allowed for up to seven rounds of regrowth with no inhibition caused from the restoration of these nutrients. A final regrowth was conducted on BBM 3N3P + vitamins + 50 mM bicarbonate. A significant difference existed between both the Round 1 and Round 2 cultures, as well as between the Round 2 cultures and their respective controls. This signified the possible release of allelochemicals by the Chlorella sp.. A preliminary investigation into the possible use of anaerobic digester effluent as a primary source of nutrients for algal cultures was also conducted. The digestate (diluted 50% v/v with a saline make-up) grew significantly faster than the controls (p-value<0.001). Further, after the introduction of trace metals and micronutrients the digestate columns outlived the control columns increasing the feasibility of using digestate to supplemental algal cultures.

Algal biofuels present a promising future alternative to petroleum based fuels. Water nutrient recycling is a key step to increase the sustainability of algae biofuel production facilities. This thesis discusses the process of nutrient and water recycling in high rate algae raceway ponds (HRAP) fed primary treated municipal wastewater. Research was conducted primarily at the San Luis Obispo Water Resource Reclamation Facility (SLOWRRF). Nine 30 m2, 0.3 m deep HRAP’s were operated continuously from June 1, 2013 to April 17, 2014. The ponds were arranged in three sets of triplicate ponds, with two pond sets run on 3-day hydraulic residence time (HRT), and the third on a 2-day HRT. The biomass productivity of the 2-day HRT and 3-day HRT were compared. The two sets of 3-day HRT ponds were run in series to determine the effect on productivity associated with recycling growth media without supplemental nutrient addition. The first pond in series was referred to as round 1 and the second as round 2. Due to solids accumulation in the 2-day HRT ponds in summer proper biomass productivity values could not be determined. 4-inch standpipes were determined to cause the solids accumulation when large flocs were present in ponds. As a possible solution to the solids accumulation issue, a ramped standpipe was designed and installed in one pond per triplicate set. In winter the 2-day HRT pond was roughly 37% more productive than the 3-day HRT. In summer the round 1 (3-day HRT) ponds were roughly 33% more productive than the round 2 (3-day HRT) ponds. In winter the round 1 (3-day HRT) ponds were roughly 19% more productive than the round 2 (3-day HRT) ponds. The type of standpipe (ramped or 4-inch) did not cause a significant amount of solids accumulation in either of the 3-day HRT ponds. The type of standpipe did make a difference in the 2-day HRT ponds. On average the 4-inch standpipe pond had 35% higher TSS than the ramped standpipe ponds. In addition to these field experiments, laboratory aerobic degradation experiments were conducted to determine the nutrient release of previously digested sludge in aerobic ponds. Pretreatment of algae sludge did not have a significant effect on nutrient release of previously anaerobically digested algae sludge in aerobic conditions. The maximum soluble nitrogen generated in the aeration reactors was between 56% for the treated sludge, and 66% for the untreated sludge.

Increasing urbanization coupled with increased domestic and industrial uses of water has made water conservation an important aspect of environmental management. Reclamation of wastewater is one way in which such conservation can proceed, and the aim of this thesis is to provide a case study about the perspectives of residents and officials involved in the use of reclaimed water in an urban development in Tampa, Florida. Using semi-structured interviews, it seeks to understand the range of opinions on the safety of reclaimed water, its potential prospects as an alternative drinking water supply, and its contribution to the sustainable use of water resources. While environmental concerns are often focused on controlling global warming through international policymaking, there are also smaller-scale local projects that are equally significant in terms of their potential contributions to long-term sustainability. By drawing attention to the local scale, this study underlines the value of focusing on environmental issues that are relevant to the everyday lives of community members, and hence enables an engagement with the ways in which conservation practices are already part of, and potentially can be further built into, the structure of urban neighborhoods.

This dissertation consists of two research projects in the area of Environmental Economics: water-recycling technology adoption and its cost-effectiveness in the U.S. horticulture industry (in Chapter 2), and urban tree cover's impact on residential location decision making in Milwaukee, WI (in Chapter 3). Chapter 2 evaluates the economic effects of labeling plants grown with water-recycling technology (WRT) practices in selected nursery operations in the Mid-Atlantic region of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Partial budgeting, whole enterprise-level budgeting, sensitivity and break-even analyses are conducted to determine whether consumer premiums for plants grown with recycled water are sufficient to make WRT economically feasible combined with plant eco-labeling, and how such a labeling program would affect greenhouse/nursery production costs, gross revenues and net revenues. It is concluded that consumer premiums for plants grown with recycled water could offer nursery growers a method to improve their net returns while reducing pollution runoff and improving irrigation water usage efficiency. Chapter 3 focuses on non-market valuation of environmental (dis)amenities. Specifically, this chapter investigates the impact of urban tree cover on residential property location decision in the housing market of Milwaukee, WI. Residential sorting model embedded with "horizontal preference structure" is established to estimate the heterogeneous preferences for tree cover and other land cover attributes that vary by household socio-economic characteristics and then to identify the housing property owners' demand for these land cover attributes. The first part of this chapter mainly recovers the demand for "community trees" at the census block group level combined with 10 years property transaction data and neighborhood characteristics where the median income is aggregated to represent the household annual income. It is found that "community trees" are positively valued by the housing property owners and have a positive impact on housing price due to its positive externalities. Furthermore, income is found to be a strong exogenous demand shifter, leading to heterogeneous preference for the tree cover. The second part of Chapter 3 further investigates the impacts of both nearby trees and distant trees on residential property location decision using different spatial scales of land covers measurements. Instead of aggregating block group level median income, this study matches and merges disaggregated individual household annual incomes from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) dataset to mitigate the potential aggregation bias. It is found that different spatial scales of land cover measurement result in varying willingness to pay estimates, implying that housing property owners have heterogeneous demands for nearby trees and distant trees. In other words, preferences for urban tree cover not only vary by household annual income, but also differ across spatial scales of the tree cover measurement. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation contains two research projects related to researches on environmental economics. Chapter 2 talks about how adoption of water-recycling technology affects nursery growers’ finance (i.e., production cost, gross revenue, profit) and operation management in Mid-Atlantic region of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is found that consumers are willing to pay more money for horticultural plants produced with recycled water and these additional moneys would be sufficient for the growers to compensate the extra costs after adopting the water-recycling technology in the production. This study helps nursery growers and policy makers assess WRT adoption to improve crop water productivity and to reduce pollution of off-site surface waters. Chapter 3 discusses the impact of urban tree cover on housing price in the area of Milwaukee, WI. It is assumed that households with different socio-economic characteristics (e.g., household annual income) would have varying preferences for tree cover and other key characteristics when they make decisions on choosing their residential property locations. The first part of this chapter mainly focuses on “community trees”, namely the trees and forest within given census block groups. The second part of this chapter further takes nearby trees into consideration besides the distant trees so as to determine how trees on/near the residential properties affect the housing prices and whether the housing property owners prefer more trees on/near their properties. It is found that urban tree cover is valued by housing property owners and households with different income levels have diverse preferences for both nearby and distant trees. The research presented in this chapter not only makes academic contributions to the literatures of residential sorting model related to landscape (dis)amenities, but also facilitates the policy making of local governments and practitioners when it comes to urban and community trees and forestry programs.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T19:25:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 fabio.pdf: 669831 bytes, checksum: 4234cdb41111aee1569cd3f350a5f7ca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-01 / The application rates of swine wastewater used in crop production should be enough to meet the demand for plant nutrients. Thus, it is justified the need to research its use and management as a fertilizer for applications to be made according to technical recommendations. Taking into account its features, soil characteristics and crop were taken into account. In this context, the aim of this study was to monitor wastewater influence as topdressing to maize (Zea mays L.) and black oats (Avena strigosa Schreb.) crops in sequence. Five rates of wastewater application (0; 100; 200; 300 e 537 m3ha-1 equivalents to 0; 11,2; 22,3; 33,5 and 60 kg ha-1 of N respectively, based on an average concentration of N on swine wastewater) were tested in four replications each. In maize and black oats were performed foliar and plant tissue analysis. In the soil porosity, bulk density, soil water content, pH, carbon, CEC (Cation Exchangeable Capacity), alkaline saturation, potential acidity and nutrients were determined at the final maize and black oats cycles. The topdressing on maize crop sowing crop increased foliar content of P, N e Mn, decreased the foliar content of K and Mg. In black oats crop the residual effects provided 87% dry mass increase, chlorophyll content, foliar contents of N, Ca and Na, and decreased the relation between leaf/stem and contents of P, K, Mg and Cu. The crops under swine wastewater treatment did not show nutrients deficiency. There was a decrease on the macropores and total soil porosity when the application rate of swine wastewater increased on maize crop. The roots development of black oats contributed to improve the soil physical quality and decreased the compaction on 0 to 15 cm, upper layer. There were an increases of K+, Cu and Zn contents, potential acidity and cation exchange capacity and decreases of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Fe contents, base saturation and soil pH. In this experiment, rates up to 200 m3ha-1 (except control) showed available results of nutrients; which did not cause deficiency on soil aeration, important to crops. Thus, it can be used as maize topdressing. / As taxas de aplicação de águas residuárias de suinocultura (ARS) utilizadas na produção agrícola devem ser suficientes para suprir a demanda das plantas por nutrientes. Justifica-se, então, a necessidade de pesquisas sobre uso e manejo da água residuária de suinocultura como fertilizante, para que aplicações sejam feitas de acordo com recomendações técnicas, levando-se em conta sua composição, as características do solo e da cultura. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi monitorar a influência do uso da água residuária de suinocultura, aplicada como adubação de cobertura na cultura do milho com cultivo sequencial de aveia preta. Cinco taxas de aplicação de água residuária (0; 100; 200; 300 e 537 m3ha-1, equivalentes a 0; 11,2; 22,3; 33,5 e 60 kg ha-1 de N respectivamente, baseado na concentração média de N na ARS) foram testadas, com quatro repetições cada. No milho e na aveia preta foram feitas análises foliares e do tecido vegetal. No solo foram determinados: porosidade do solo, densidade, teor de água, pH, carbono, CTC, saturação por bases, acidez potencial e nutrientes, antes da semeadura do milho e ao final dos ciclos do milho e aveia preta. A adubação de cobertura na cultura do milho elevou os teores foliares de P, N e Mn e diminuiu os teores foliares de K e Mg. Na cultura da aveia preta, o efeito residual proporcionou aumento de 87% na massa seca, teor de clorofila, teores foliares de N, Ca e Na, e diminuiu a relação folha/colmo e teores de P, K, Mg, Cu. As culturas sob tratamentos com ARS não apresentaram deficiência de nutrientes. Houve redução da macroporosidade e porosidade total do solo, quanto maior foi a taxa de aplicação de ARS na cultura do milho. A introdução da aveia preta contribuiu para melhorar a qualidade física do solo e reduziu a compactação na camada superficial de 0-15 cm. Houve aumento dos teores de K+, Cu e Zn, acidez potencial e capacidade de troca de cátions e reduziu teores de Ca2+, Mg2+ e Fe, saturação por bases e pH do solo. Neste experimento, taxas com até 200 m3ha-1 (exceto testemunha) apresentaram resultados de suficiência de nutrientes e não provocaram deficiência na aeração do solo, o que foi benéfico para as culturas, podendo ser utilizadas como adubação de cobertura em milho.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T14:48:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 fabio.pdf: 669831 bytes, checksum: 4234cdb41111aee1569cd3f350a5f7ca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-01 / The application rates of swine wastewater used in crop production should be enough to meet the demand for plant nutrients. Thus, it is justified the need to research its use and management as a fertilizer for applications to be made according to technical recommendations. Taking into account its features, soil characteristics and crop were taken into account. In this context, the aim of this study was to monitor wastewater influence as topdressing to maize (Zea mays L.) and black oats (Avena strigosa Schreb.) crops in sequence. Five rates of wastewater application (0; 100; 200; 300 e 537 m3ha-1 equivalents to 0; 11,2; 22,3; 33,5 and 60 kg ha-1 of N respectively, based on an average concentration of N on swine wastewater) were tested in four replications each. In maize and black oats were performed foliar and plant tissue analysis. In the soil porosity, bulk density, soil water content, pH, carbon, CEC (Cation Exchangeable Capacity), alkaline saturation, potential acidity and nutrients were determined at the final maize and black oats cycles. The topdressing on maize crop sowing crop increased foliar content of P, N e Mn, decreased the foliar content of K and Mg. In black oats crop the residual effects provided 87% dry mass increase, chlorophyll content, foliar contents of N, Ca and Na, and decreased the relation between leaf/stem and contents of P, K, Mg and Cu. The crops under swine wastewater treatment did not show nutrients deficiency. There was a decrease on the macropores and total soil porosity when the application rate of swine wastewater increased on maize crop. The roots development of black oats contributed to improve the soil physical quality and decreased the compaction on 0 to 15 cm, upper layer. There were an increases of K+, Cu and Zn contents, potential acidity and cation exchange capacity and decreases of Ca2+, Mg2+ and Fe contents, base saturation and soil pH. In this experiment, rates up to 200 m3ha-1 (except control) showed available results of nutrients; which did not cause deficiency on soil aeration, important to crops. Thus, it can be used as maize topdressing. / As taxas de aplicação de águas residuárias de suinocultura (ARS) utilizadas na produção agrícola devem ser suficientes para suprir a demanda das plantas por nutrientes. Justifica-se, então, a necessidade de pesquisas sobre uso e manejo da água residuária de suinocultura como fertilizante, para que aplicações sejam feitas de acordo com recomendações técnicas, levando-se em conta sua composição, as características do solo e da cultura. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi monitorar a influência do uso da água residuária de suinocultura, aplicada como adubação de cobertura na cultura do milho com cultivo sequencial de aveia preta. Cinco taxas de aplicação de água residuária (0; 100; 200; 300 e 537 m3ha-1, equivalentes a 0; 11,2; 22,3; 33,5 e 60 kg ha-1 de N respectivamente, baseado na concentração média de N na ARS) foram testadas, com quatro repetições cada. No milho e na aveia preta foram feitas análises foliares e do tecido vegetal. No solo foram determinados: porosidade do solo, densidade, teor de água, pH, carbono, CTC, saturação por bases, acidez potencial e nutrientes, antes da semeadura do milho e ao final dos ciclos do milho e aveia preta. A adubação de cobertura na cultura do milho elevou os teores foliares de P, N e Mn e diminuiu os teores foliares de K e Mg. Na cultura da aveia preta, o efeito residual proporcionou aumento de 87% na massa seca, teor de clorofila, teores foliares de N, Ca e Na, e diminuiu a relação folha/colmo e teores de P, K, Mg, Cu. As culturas sob tratamentos com ARS não apresentaram deficiência de nutrientes. Houve redução da macroporosidade e porosidade total do solo, quanto maior foi a taxa de aplicação de ARS na cultura do milho. A introdução da aveia preta contribuiu para melhorar a qualidade física do solo e reduziu a compactação na camada superficial de 0-15 cm. Houve aumento dos teores de K+, Cu e Zn, acidez potencial e capacidade de troca de cátions e reduziu teores de Ca2+, Mg2+ e Fe, saturação por bases e pH do solo. Neste experimento, taxas com até 200 m3ha-1 (exceto testemunha) apresentaram resultados de suficiência de nutrientes e não provocaram deficiência na aeração do solo, o que foi benéfico para as culturas, podendo ser utilizadas como adubação de cobertura em milho.

Developing nations face insurmountable challenges to reliably and sustainably provide energy and water to the population. These resources are intricately entwined such that decisions on the use of one affects the other (energy-water nexus). Inadequate and ageing infrastructure, increased population and connectivity, urbanization, improved standards of living and spatially uneven rainfall are some of the reasons causing this insecurity. Expanding and developing new supply infrastructure is not sustainable due to sky high costs and negative environmental impact such as increased greenhouse gas emissions and over extraction of surface water. The exponentially increasing demand, way above the capacity of supply infrastructure in most developing countries, requires urgent mitigation strategies through demand side management (DSM). The DSM strategies seek to increase efficiency of use of available resources and reducing demand from utilities in the short, medium and long term. Renewable energy, rooftop rain water harvesting, pump-storage scheme and grey water recycling are some alternatives being used to curb the insecurity. However, renewable energy and rooftop water harvesting are spasmodic in nature hampering their adoption as the sole supply options for energy and water respectively. The built environment is one of the largest energy and water consuming sectors in the world presenting a huge potential towards conserving and increasing efficiency of these resources. For this reason, coupled with the 1970s energy challenges, the concept of green buildings seeking to, among other factors, reduce the consumption of energy and water sprung up. Conventionally, policy makers, industry players and researchers have made decisions on either resource independently, with little knowledge on the effect it would have on the other. It is therefore imperative that optimal integration of alternative sources and resource efficient technologies are implemented and analysed jointly in order to achieve maximum benefits. This is a step closer to achieving green buildings while also improving energy and water security. A multifaceted approach to save energy and water should integrate appropriate resource efficient technology, alternative source and an advanced and reliable control system to coordinate their operation. In a typical South African urban residential house, water heating is one of the most energy and water intensive end uses while lawn irrigation is the highest water intensive end use occasioned by low rainfall and high evaporation. Therefore, seamless integration of these alternative supply and most resource intensive end uses provides the highest potential towards resource conservation. This thesis introduces the first practical and economical attempt to integrate various alternative energy and water supply options with efficient devices. The multifaceted approach used in this research has proven that optimal control strategy can significantly reduce the cost of these resources, bring in revenue through renewable energy sales, reuse waste water and reduce the demand for grid energy, water and waste water services. This thesis is generally divided into cold and hot water categories; both of which energy-water nexus DSM is carried out. Open-loop optimal and closed-loop model predictive (MPC) control strategies that minimize the objective while meeting present technical and operational constraints are designed. In cold water systems, open-loop optimal and MPC strategies are designed to improve water reliability through a pump storage system. Energy efficiency (EE) of the pump is achieved through optimally shifting the load to off-peak period of the time-of-use (TOU) tariff in South Africa. Thereafter, an open-loop optimal control strategy is developed for rooftop rain water harvesting for lawn irrigation. The controller ensures water is conserved by using the stored rain water and ensuring only the required amount of water is used for irrigation. Further, EE is achieved through load shifting of the pump subject to the TOU tariff. The two control strategies are then developed to operate a grey water recycling system that is useful in meeting non-potable water demand such as toilet flushing and lawn irrigation and EE is achieved through shifting of pump's load. Finally, the two control strategies are designed for an integrated rain and grey water recycling for a residential house, whose life cycle cost (LCC) analysis is carried out. The hot water category is more energy intensive, and therefore, the open-loop optimal control strategy is developed to control a heat pump water heater (HPWH) and an instantaneous shower, both powered by grid-tied renewable energy systems. Solar and wind energy are used due to their abundance in South Africa. Thereafter, the MPC strategy is developed to power same devices with renewable energy systems. In both strategies, energy is saved through the use of renewable energy sources, that also bring in revenue through sale of excess power back to the grid. In addition, water is conserved through heating the cold water in the pipes using the instantaneous shower rather than running it down the drain while waiting for hot water to arrive. LCC analysis is also carried out for this strategy. Each of the two control strategies has its strengths. The open loop optimal control is easier and cheaper to implement but is only suitable in cases where uncertainties and disturbances affecting the system do not alter the demand pattern for water in a major way. Conversely, the closed-loop MPC strategy is more complicated and costly to implement due to additional components like sensors, but comes with great robustness against uncertainties and disturbances. Both strategies are beneficial in ensuring security and reliability of energy and water is achieved. Importantly, technology alone cannot have sustainable DSM impact. Public education and awareness on importance of energy and water savings, improved efficiency and effect on supply infrastructure and greenhouse gas emissions are essential. Awareness is also important in enabling the acceptance of these technological advancements by the society. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / National Hub for Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management (EEDSM) / University of Pretoria / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / PhD / Unrestricted