Waterways Drainage Specialists
Rainwater Harvesting – Saving You Money!
- September 1
Rainwater Harvesting- Save money & the environment (and avoid the hose pipe ban!)
It’s no secret that the cost of living is on the increase and you may have already noticed your water bill is no exception. You can’t just switch providers like you can with other utilities – so what can you do to save money and what is rainwater harvesting?
Rain is something we’re not short of here in the UK, so having Waterways install a Rainwater Harvesting System is the perfect solution to saving you money at a time when everyone is feeling the pinch.
Wasted Resources
According to the Environment agency, each person in the UK uses in the region of 150 liters of drinking quality water every day. Around half of this amount need not be drinking water. This means water has gone through an energy and carbon intensive process of filtration, chemical treatment, and pumping from miles away, just to flush down a toilet or water the lawn. This is clearly a waste of our resources and not a sustainable option.
Harvested rainwater can be used for:
Flushing Toilets
(which accounts for 35% of usage!)
Washing Machines
(around 15% of water usage)
Watering your garden
Perfect for keeping your garden looking healthy during the hosepipe ban!. (Rainwater is actually better for your garden as it doesn’t contain any of the chemicals needed to make it safe for consumption!)
General Cleaning
Washing cars, patios, driveways, windows- the list goes on!
Waterways are Approved Graf Installers
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Domestic rainwater harvesting systems thoroughly filter the collected rainwater, and store it below ground where it stays at a constant, cool, temperature and away from light. This means it is practically impossible for any bacterial action to occur. Collected Rainwater stays perfectly clean, clear, and odourless in any properly installed and maintained system.
Yes! Typically you will save around 50% on your current metered bill. If you are keen gardeners or have large water requirements, the savings can be even larger. Depending where you are in the country, some annual water bills are now averaging over £500 per year. Some of our customers in the South East of England have reported water bills of over £850 per year.
Yes! Rainwater Harvesting acts as part of a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS.) In heavy rainfall the tank fills first, then should the rainfall continue, the tank will overflow into a soak-away. This takes stress off public storm drains.
No. A properly installed and maintained system will provide clean, colourless and odourless water. As the rainwater is heavily filtered and stays at a constant, cool temperature with no light exposure there is practically no chance of any bacterial action. Visually, there is no way to distinguish between the harvested rainwater and mains water. Legionella cannot grow without light exposure or in temperatures below 20°C. An underground rainwater harvesting tank is completely dark and water stays at a constant temperature around 4°C all year.
No. A properly installed and maintained system will provide clean, colourless and odourless water. As the rainwater is heavily filtered and stays at a constant, cool temperature with no light exposure there is practically no chance of any bacterial action. Visually, there is no way to distinguish between the harvested rainwater and mains water. Legionella cannot grow without light exposure or in temperatures below 20°C. An underground rainwater harvesting tank is completely dark and water stays at a constant temperature around 4°C all year.
Our award winning, low energy, Rain Director gravity feed system from www.rainwaterharvesting.co.uk costs less than 1p per person per day to run the system. This equates to around £12/year for a 4 person family. We estimate direct feed systems cost in the region of £50-60 per year to operate.
Interested? Give us a call today and we can have a friendly, informal no-obligation chat to find out if a rainwater harvesting system is a good idea for you and your family!
South West Water are giving away FREE water saving products to help save money on your water bills and reduce the amount of water we use. Visit their site here to claim yours:
https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/advice-and-services/save-water/free-products/
