Harvest and Use your Rainwater
Install a rainwater tank to collect and store the rain hitting your roof and use it to water your garden, wash your clothes or fill your toilet.
By capturing and using the rain that falls on our houses - water that currently flows into the stormwater drain - we are taking another step in increasing our water efficiency, and conserving this precious resource. Have a plumber redirect your down pipes into a tank for storage and install pumps and pipes to service some of your household water needs. By these simple actions, most Australian households would save at least 45,000 litres and hundreds of dollars per year.
Do it now!
Scope out the benefit of installing a rainwater harvesting system in your home, explore government rebates and think medium term.
1. Get some advice & a quote
Contact a rainwater tank and tank-to-toilet installation specialist in your area; get some expert advice and a quote on installation.
2. Explore government incentives and programs - As we are living through drought years and Australia is water poor, most State governments have rebates to help fund rainwater tank installation. In addition, some states have further incentives and programs to encourage households to install water collection and saving equipment.
Smart Watermark - this site lists the State and/or Local government rebate programs available, for the installation of certain water saving fixtures and water tanks, in your area.
Water for Life (New South Wales), Sydney Water
Department of Water – rebate program (Western Australia)
SA Water (South Australia)
Think water, ACT water (Australian Capital Territory)
3. Calculate the cost, benefit and ROI - By measuring the water bill savings, rebates, and increased home value against the cost to purchase and install a rainwater harvesting system you can calculatethe financial value of this investment.
For example, installing a 5,000 litre tank connected to the toilet and garden may cost $10,000 with a $1000 rebate and reduce your water bill by $500 per annum In addition, a recent study by Energy Partners in Canberra found that a one-star improvement in a home's energy rating coincides with an averaged increase in advertised sale of price of around $15,000. Hence, the above investment will add at least $10,000 of value to your house should you sell. This equates to a 5.5% annual return plus your investment back.
Why this action
is
important
Fresh Water is the life blood of nature, the subordination of water for human purposes comes at the health of those natural systems that support humans in other ways (clean our air, moderate our environment, provide us with food). So we need to nourish, share and learn to value this life blood. The consequences of doing otherwise can be seen in the spreading desserts across the world and the drought and famine that can soon follow.