How to Lower Your Water Bills
Posted: Saturday, October 24, 2009
by Marcus Bicknell
Rainwater Harvesting Limited
There is a cottage in Wickham Market which is a fine example of what carbon neutral homes of the future could be like. During this major renovation project, energy efficient technologies were installed and the 120 sq.m property now costs as little as £340 annually for heating, hot water and lighting. One of the key sustainable technologies added to this home was rainwater harvesting. The 4800 litre Graf Carat tank was installed underground to make it inobtrusive and help keep the stored water at a low temperature and fresh. There is a filter which gets rid of the debris before the rainwater from the roof downpipes enters the tank. Also, there is a pump to take the rainwater to where it is required - to supply WCs, the washing machine and all outdoor use - and there is a mains back up system to make sure that the system switches back to mains water if the tank is empty.
Now mains water consumption has been reduced by around 50%, and the former water bill of £600 has reduced to about £300 which gives an amortization period on the investment of six years.
In addition, the owners can safeguard their stored rainwater for use in the garden should there be a hosepipe ban. If there is a drought, the rainwater normally used to supply WCs and the washing machine can be reserved for watering the garden.
The government is putting more and more pressure on to reduce the non-essential use of mains water, and it is now obligatory in new builds to integrate water conservation measures. A target to reduce the drinking water consumption per person daily from the present average of 150 litres to an optimum 80 litres has been set by the Code for Sustainable Homes (introduced in April 2007). Level 3 of the Code is now obligatory for social housing (103 litres per person each day). Building Regs will change in April 2010 to set a 125 litre per day limit for all new buildings whether public or private. Planning applications which have water conservation measures are favoured by local authorities.
Along with a change in behaviour and theuse of water efficient appliances, rainwater harvesting makes these limits achievable and at an affordable cost. Also, this gives added value to a home like Little Cottage as it has sustainable options such as rainwater harvesting.
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Rainwater Harvesting Limited supplies rainwater harvesting storage tanks, pumps, filters and management systems to households and commercial businesses. www.rainwaterharvesting.co.uk is a large information resource offering valuable technical information and advice in addition to 1000s of product specifications. Download the invaluable rainwater harvesting tank size calculator
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