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How Rainwater Harvesting Can Save You Money
Bills, bills, bills, it’s all I ever seem to receive. With the recent increase of in taxes in the UK, the last thing any of us need is further expenditure. Splashing the cash is out, austerity is in; it’s time to tighten our belts and make do with what we have, rather than spend more money.
Of course, sometimes a simple investment will result in an initial spend, which will save you a lot more money in the long run. A good example of this is to think of where your water comes from, how much you use, and consider alternative collection methods. This article looks at how you can harvest rainwater for free for use in both private and commercial ventures, and what you need to get started.
Rainwater is nature’s gift. The principle ways of saving money through rainwater harvesting is obvious; when you turn on a tap, you are spending money, because each drip of water will increase the size of the bill given to you by your supplier. Yet outside, water falls freely from the sky in the form of rain. Why not use it? Once you have the equipment you need it won’t cost you!
Rainwater harvesting is the process of catching and storing rainwater. Essentially you need a big tank for the storage and a catchment process. In some areas, rainwater can be suitable for human consumption without treatment. If you system which sits on your rooftop and catches the rain as it falls then there’s a good chance it will be clean, however you should be careful as whilst the water may be clean, the materials your roof is constructed from may not be. In the majority of areas some form of treatment and filtration will be required.
An example process for rainwater harvesting would be to have a catchment area on the roof, with pipes taking the water to a storage tank at ground level. This water would then be run through an underground sand filter and into an underground tank. A pump would suck the water as required from this large underground storage tank and into a smaller tank within the building. From here it would be used for everyday purposes throughout the building ranging from showers to supplying the water in your toilet.
If you don’t want to drink the water, it can still be used for other purposes such as flushing toilets, washing cars, watering the garden… And these are just the everyday domestic uses. Commercially there are lots more ways you can use rainwater. Imagine how much water is used on farms, in car washes, cleaning the sides of buildings, cleaning floors, even in offices that have features such as fountains. Festivals often use rainwater as the supply for hand washing. Why pay for something that falls from the sky quite freely?
Using rainwater can also reduce the environmental impact of your operation. Whenever you run the tap, the water that spurts out has been captured, processed and treated. Not only will this involve chemicals, it also involves electricity and other forms of energy, be it for monitoring the process, or the fuel used by people driving to work. Even the millions of bills posted from suppliers to customers will have an environmental impact. Harvesting water yourself will reduce the impact of this.
The alternative to a Rainwater Harvesting is a Stormwater Harvesting , where water is collected from the ground rather than the sky. Rainwater is generally cleaner when taken from the sky than the ground.
In most standard scenarios, your water bill is in two parts; the water that is supplied and the water that is taken away as sewerage. If you were to implement a rainwater harvesting system in your home, you’d reduce the amount of water that is supplied quite dramatically, however the ‘used’ water may be charged for when it’s taken away and treated. Also consider the costs of treating the water you collect when planning to implement this.
About the Author
John Deere Fall Harvest 2009
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