Rainwater Harvesting

The need to capture, store, filter and reuse rainfall is becoming essential. As water companies continue to increase prices and the general UK population grows, demands on mains water supplies are becoming quite strenuous. So, what is rainwater harvesting, and how can it work for you and your business?

Rainwater harvesting is the process of collecting rainwater that hits your roof or another flat surface present at your workplace or home. The collected, or “harvested”, rainwater is then stored in a tank which is often located below ground. Then, when water is required to supply the building where the system is installed, it draws the water from this tank instead of from the mains supply. Before the harvested water is used it is, of course, thoroughly filtered and treated appropriately, depending on what the water will then be used for. The most common workplace use of harvested rainwater is for flushing toilets, so when you consider the average flush uses over 13L of water you can see how the savings will add up over time!

When you combine the financial benefits with the great environmental upside, rainwater harvesting is becoming more and more popular with UK businesses who are keen to reduce costs and have a more positive impact on the Earth. Rainwater is, of course, a completely free natural resource which can be used for many things around the home or workplace. Preferred uses for harvested rainwater are:

• Flushing toilets
• Washing vehicles & machinery
• Filling washing machines
• Irrigation
• Showers
• Sinks
• Baths

The systems for harvesting rainwater are relatively simple in their design. They use the building’s existing guttering system and downpipes to collect rainwater, which then flows through a pipe network and into the filtration & storage system. It’s worth noting that harvested rainwater is usually considered non-potable (i.e. you shouldn’t drink it!).

If you’d like to talk about harvesting rainwater at your premises, then call our friendly specialists on 01462 484022 now. We work closely with all our clients, providing detailed site surveys and expert advice to determine how best we can implement a rainwater harvesting system.