Khadija bin Braik, a wastewater engineer at RSB, the private-sector agency charged with regulating Abu Dhabi's power and water sector, estimates that the proportion of household water discharged into the emirate's sewerage system, and therefore available for recycling, may currently be as low as 20 per cent. The rest, as much as 80 per cent, may be "lost" through activities such as car-washing, watering lawns and topping up swimming pools, but nobody knows for sure. "The plan for the water usage study this year is to understand what data [are] available. We will then build on this next year to identify where the water is being lost and what we can do to save more of it," she says. "Efficient use of recycled water will mean that there will be less of a need to desalinate so much and the desalinated water can be used for potable purposes - not used on beautification of the surroundings." The water usage study is part of RSB's work plan for this year, which it unveiled today in Abu Dhabi. The plan embraces seven other strategic initiatives, ranging from carbon accounting to an emirate-wide trial of smart electricity metering. Read more after the jump. As we will report in The National tomorrow, the RSB is seeking 500 volunteers to participate in Abu Dhabi's first emirate-wide smart metering trial. The government is hoping to persuade residents to cut electricity consumption enough to dispense with the need for 250 megawatts of generating capacity - enough to power a small city The RSB's "key strategic initiatives" are as follows: 1. Enhance the reliability of bulk power. The bureau will establish an Abu Dhabi electric power reliability centre to collate data from power and water utilities and produce an annual reliability forecast ahead of the peak summer demand season. 2. Assure grid readiness for "variable" power generation from renewable sources such as solar and wind power. 3. Facilitate the reduction of Abu Dhabi's carbon footprint through an emissions study. 4. Publish a long-term power and water strategy to mesh with the Abu Dhabi government's " " for economic development. The plan will take into account energy technologies new to the emirate including nuclear power, renewable energy, smart grids and trends in modern water management. 5. Seek full understanding of drinking water usage with the aim of reducing waste and developing "smarter" landscape irrigation systems. 6. Manage electricity demand by providing customers with "smart options" such as built-in devices for reducing power use at times of peak demand. 7. Develop a consultation document for the installation and operation of a "smart" electricity grid, that reduces energy wastage by incorporating information technology into the power transmission system. 8. Conduct smart metering trials to determine the extent to which customers would modify their behaviour to reduce power consumption if presented with appropriate incentives.