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Beyond the Water Butt
Connect talks to Leigh Middel, co-founder of Rainpiper.com, about the financial and ecological benefits of harvesting rainwater.
 England has less water available per person than any other country in Europe and our usage of mains water is beginning to outstrip the available supply as our climate changes. Drought warnings and restrictions on water use will become increasingly common.
The water companies may now insist that all households are metered which will likely see most household’s water costs rise exponentially. So what can we do to reduce our reliance on mains water and lessen our impact on the environment.
Harvesting rainwater is certainly not a new concept. Many of already have simple measures in place – like water butts - to collect small volumes of rainwater. Some of us also divert “grey” water from our baths and kitchen sinks for use in non-food growing areas of our gardens but what Leigh is recommending householders to review is whether or not to go a step further and install a fully fledged rainwater harvesting system.
The harvesting of rainwater is a relatively simple concept, however the majority of homeowners may be unaware of its benefits. Rainwater harvesting is the collection of water that would otherwise have gone down the drainage system, been lost through evaporation or have soaked into the ground. Collected rainwater is perfectly usable for many requirements. In fact using water that has been treated to bring it up to a drinking standard for anything other than drinking is clearly at issue with any professed desire to live a greener and less process reliant life. For this reason the use of rainwater inside the home is becoming more common and it is driven euqlly by the pressure of increasing water costs.
Water is currently sold at a price of between £1-2 per cubic metre and this price band is set to increase.. At present, around 25 per cent of UK households are metered. With the introduction of new legislation which allows the water companies to insist that all households switch to meters, the benefits of harvesting rainwater become more apparent.
Rainwater harvesting systems can be installed in both new and existing buildings to collect water for a range of uses. Toilets, washing machines and outdoor use account for 50 per cent of all domestic water consumption. If correctly harvested and stored, rainwater can be used for all these requirements without any treatment. At present there are no UK regulations concerning rainwater use for toilets, washing machines and gardens, however the back-up from the mains must comply with water supply regulations. There are many benefits in switching to rainwater not least the fact that rainwater has not undergone chemical treatments and is softer and reduces reliance on detergents. Rainwater does not contain the chalk and lime deposits that are found in hard water and which cause the build up of scale and scum around baths and basins. The minerals contained in hard water settle as a deposit of scale whenever the water is heated or when cold standing water evaporates. Over time, hard water can have a devastating effect on pipe work and can cause premature failure of water heaters. Recent trials in Germany where 100,000 rainwater systems are installed every year have shown extended life for washing machines that run on rainwater. Rainwater harvesting is also widespread in Australia and other areas that experience water shortages and it is simple to understand why.
Mains supply water is chemically treated to remove impurities to produce pure drinking water but it is not necessary to treat the water that will not be consumed. Switching to rainwater collection removes the need to waste the energy and chemicals used to produce water of a higher standard that is required for general use. Studies have proved that rainwater is beneficial for the garden, for example, as it contains a lower volume of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) than normal treated mains water. TDS includes cations, anions, minerals, salts or metals dissolved in water and some of these dissolved solids come from organic matter like leaves, pesticides and industrial sewage. Put simply, filtered rainwater is considerably purer than mains supply water. The environmental benefits of harvesting rain water are significant too as our demand on rivers and groundwater is greatly reduced. The World Wide Fund recently reported that over-extraction by water companies is damaging Britain’s wetlands and trout rivers. The problem is most apparent in the South East where the population is increasing and the need for new housing is putting extra pressure on the decreasing water supply. Rainwater harvesting significantly reduces the amount of pumped of mains water needed and helps to reduce pollution and CO2 emissions. Rainwater management can also lower the volume of water in sewers and storm water run off is also reduced, helping to reduce the incidence of flooding during the wetter months.
Water rates are likely to continue their upward trend therefore rainwater conservation is becoming much more attractive. Over half of all domestic water that is used in washing machines, toilets and gardens doesn’t need treatment. The case for harvesting rainwater speaks for itself: by conserving rainwater, the potential savings in water costs are significant and, more importantly, the dependence on mains water is diminished. Sustained water savings can also add value to a property as well as demonstrating a level of commitment to helping preserve the environment and its natural resources.
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