Saneamento urbano: a demanda residencial por água

Abstract

The derivation of optimal tariffs for the supply of water services requires the knowledge of the characteristics of the water demand. This article is a study of the residential demand for water in Brazil. In its first section, the article presents a bibliographical survey of the main problems related to the specification and the estimation of this function; in the second section is developed a theoretical model for the water demand from which useful general results are obtained; finally, in the last section the residential demand function for water is estimated using empirical data collected among consumers. This study produced an estimation of the demand price-elasticity for water, an important economic parameter that allows both the assessment of the sensitivity of the revenue to price changes and the establishment of price differentials among consumers.