Lewis | February 12, 2015 | 0 Comments
Especially in the South, we are prone to a very warm summer. As such hosepipe bans are commonplace; anyone else remember the lengthy one back in 2012? Me too. Countrywide though, rainfall is frequent – where do you think the idiom of “British weather” comes from? Yet, with all this rainfall, this author asks why we aren’t viewing it as an opportunity, and taking advantage of it. After reading an article about the velodrome at the London Olympic Park using a rainwater harvesting (RWH) system, it dawned on said author, almost like an epiphany, why aren’t we all doing this?!
RWH is simply the capture of rainwater, which is then stored in a tank, ready to be used for numerous purposes. Of course, this water, can’t be used for drinking; it’s uses range from watering plants and washing cars, to the water being used in toilets and washing machines. The first thing to your mind, is that this can save you money on your water bills! How much you can save inevitably relies on a number of factors, such as the size of your catchment area (which is usually your roof), the size of the tank you are collecting the rainfall in, the rainfall in your local area, and naturally, your usage levels.
It is an excellent idea, and it is one that countries on the European continent caught onto years ago; according to the Environment Agency, Germany are the current world leader in modern RWH. On the other hand, only approximately 400 systems are installed in the UK every year. With droughts commonplace during the summer months, the collection of rainwater for use during other time periods has never been a better idea. It also goes hand-in-hand with irrigation systems that Oakleigh Manor can install for you; you can see more information about those here https://oakleighmanor.com/services/irrigation-systems/, the purpose-built webpage for irrigation systems on our website..
So there’s your second blog post of the day! It is possible for most households to use rainwater for up to 50% of their water consumption. So do not be content with money, quite literally, flowing down the drain, and take advantage of a wonderful opportunity Mother Nature is giving you on a silver platter, or should we say, a grey-ish cloud!
