Rain Water HarvestingWith the demand on water resources rising and the impact of climate change, rainwater harvesting (or rain recycling) is a practical and cost-effective way to supplement your available water sources. As a result, you reduce your mains water use AND your mains water bill whilst also reducing the impact you have on the environment. Somerset Pumps has an excellent range of rainwater harvesting applications for domestic, industrial and agricultural use. Recycled rainwater can be used for a number of applications, including:
 Agricultural Rainwater Tank
Rainwater - A valuable resource!Over 97 percent of the 1.4 billion cubic kilometres of water on earth is sea water – unusable water. The majority of the remaining freshwater is permanently frozen in glaciers and the Poles. Only 0.3% of the World’s total water resource is freely useable freshwater. Then there is the bigger problem of the reducing quality of mains water. Purification is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive because of the increased pollution caused by nitrates, pesticides, phosphates and other chemical substances. This means that the freshwater reserve is being used in a permanent cycle. The Environment Agency says that the average consumption of freshwater in the UK is 150 litres, per person, per day. The answer to this is to replace mains water with untreated rainwater. For some domestic applications the quality of purified water is unimportant. A typical household can save almost 50% mains water and in a commercial or agricultural environment this saving can rise to 90%. Advantages of the use of rainwater:
The Benefits of Domestic Rainwater Collection With the world’s climate constantly changing there has never been a better time to think about long-term sustainability of our water supplies. The UK has been relatively lucky so far: we have had plentiful water at a fairly static price, but this is changing. In August 2008, the majority of the UK’s water companies applied for price increases that could lead to a 40% rise in water bills within 5 years! We need to use water more efficiently. But however eco-friendly we are, we are all very cost conscious and we need to know how much it will cost us and, ultimately save us. Costs vary depending on each individual need and whether the collected rainwater is to be used inside the house as well for supplying toilets and washing machines or just for outdoor use for example garden irrigation and cleaning vehicles etc. If rainwater use is in the house, separate supply pipes to relevant appliances are required making installation more cost efficient in the context of a new build or a renovation project. And a hole needs to be made if the tank is to be underground. However these costs are relatively low in comparison to the overall cost of a renovation or building project.
 Underground rainwater tankWhat You Will Gain! It has been proven that investment in a rainwater harvesting system will increase the value of a renovated or new home by many times the cost of the initial equipment. Prospective purchasers view all eco-friendly such as rainwater harvesting as an attractive and sometimes even necessary addition to any contemporary home. And now the government is exerting pressure to use rainwater:
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