During the 1970s and 1980s new housing construction shifted towards multifamily dwellings. This increased construction of lower water-use housing promised to reduce gpcd rates. This trend, however, did not continue. Economic expansion and much lower mortgage rates caused single family home construction to rebound. In addition, the majority of multifamily units being constructed are more luxurious units which are more likely to have large turf areas, pools and other water-using amenities.
Older homes tend to consume more water both indoors and outdoors than newer homes.
They generally use more water outdoors because of larger lots with more turf and landscaping. Homes built after 1975 are less likely to have lawns, and homes built after 1989 are required to have ULF toilets. Non-residential demand for large providers averaged 41 gpcd in 1995. Tucson Water's non-residential demand decreased by six gpcd from 1985 to 1995. For other large providers, however, non-residential demand increased by 11 gpcd.