When reviewing annual energy costs, homeowners shouldn't just think about heating and electricity. Depending on the size of the household and how water is used, water consumption can also cost a significant amount of money. Anyone who is building a house or planning an extensive renovation should therefore know about the possibility of using rainwater. Not only pure drinking water from the tap is used here, but also collected rainwater that can easily be used in some household areas. This reduces drinking water consumption, which not only protects your wallet but also the environment. Find out more about the rainwater harvesting system below!
Reduce water consumption through rainwater harvesting systems
Cascading creek House von Bercy Chen Studio
A person uses around 121 liters of water every day. Calculated over the year, this results in high consumption, which can only be partially reduced through savings measures. The distribution of water use in average households is also interesting. Especially when considering integrating a rainwater harvesting system, many homeowners want to know how extensive the new system can actually be. It's worth taking a look at oneStatisticsfor the use of water in households. 27 percent of the water used daily is used to flush toilets, twelve percent for washing laundry and six percent each for gardening and cleaning. These areas, which together already account for over half of water consumption, do not necessarily depend on the use of fresh tap water. Drinking water from the tap is only needed for personal hygiene, which accounts for 36 percent of water consumption, and for eating and drinking, which accounts for four percent.
With such a system it is therefore possible to cover up to half of the water consumption in your own household with rainwater. Rainwater can then
• for flushing toilets
• for garden irrigation
• for the washing machine
be used. Of course, installing a rainwater harvesting system requires some effort. The system must under no circumstances be connected to fresh tap water in order to avoid contamination of the drinking water. If you want to use rainwater for your household, you also need a good filter system that protects the washing machine's sensitive pipe systems. The fact is, however, that installation can be worthwhile in many cases. If the consumption of fresh tap water decreases, this also protects the environment. Since many builders today are overSustainability in house buildingIf you want to inform people and make their lives as environmentally friendly as possible, the rainwater harvesting system can support this wish.
A system consists of several components that are connected to each other. A sufficiently large tank made of concrete or plastic is used during installation either in the basement of the house or underground in the yard and garden. This tank is connected to the roof of the house via a downpipe, so that collected rainwater from the gutter can be directed into the tank instead of the sewage system. The rainwater itself is then piped into the interior of the house, where it can be used for flushing toilets or washing machines. For tanks that are not placed underground, it is crucial that they are opaque, otherwise algae can form in the collected rainwater. In addition, a rainwater storage tank needs an appropriate overflow device if its volume is exhausted after heavy rainfall. In return, the storage facility is supplied with drinking water from the tap if a dry period does not result in an insufficient amount of rainwater. In this case, the storage tank is filled with drinking water as required in order to continue to fulfill its function.
There is no general answer to how big the tank needs to be. Key points such as the size of the roof, the amount of rain where you live and the number of people make tanks of different sizes necessary. “For a three-person household and a roof area of 100 square meters, a tank size of just under 5,000 liters is recommended. For a 6-person household with a roof area of 150 square meters, however, a tank with a capacity of around 10,000 liters is suitable." (Source:experto.de) If you also want to irrigate a spacious garden with the water from the system, you should choose an appropriately large tank. Anyone interested can find further information about the tank size and the appropriate system variantin the guide from benz24.de.
The following video from the Bremen environmental consultancy also shows how a rainwater harvesting system works and what special features it has.
How much does it cost?
Of course, it's not just the benefits that are interesting for future owners. The costs associated with installing and purchasing such a system should also be known in advance. In principle, however, no flat rate can be specified for the installation of a rainwater harvesting system. However, in most households the costs are in the mid four-digit range. It's not just the material costs that are crucial here, as only a specialist should be responsible for installing such a system. The final costs are therefore calculated based on the purchase price for the system and the wages estimated by the craftsman.
Homeowners should decide individually whether the installation is financially worthwhile. Since a significant investment is required at the beginning, the system only pays off after several years. How high the savings potential is always depends on the applicable water costs in your own community. Anyone who is hesitant to invest in a rainwater harvesting system should contact the municipality in advance to find out about possible funding programs. After all, this is a measure that also protects the environment. Some municipalities and districts also support the installation of a system financially. However, you can only find out whether this also applies to your own place of residence by asking specific questions. The fact is: the higher the water consumption in your own household, the greater the reduction in drinking water costs.
Image 1: pixabay.com © Unsplash (CC0 Public Domain)
Figure 3: pixabay.com © bierfritze (CC0 Public Domain)
Image 6: pixabay.com © Counseling (CC0 Public Domain)
