House sales affected by rainwater?

Sun, Aug 5, 2012

Water, rainwater harvesting

If you want to make your house more attractive to buyers in the current market then try this idea:

INSTALL A RAIN-WATER HARVESTING SYSTEM

According to a UK survey, sponsored by Save the Rain a significant proportion of homeowners (1 in 3) would be more likely to buy a house if a rainwater harvesting system was already installed. With the increasing amount of rainfall falling from the skies over the UK this is a serious option that many sellers might like to consider to beat the current storms in the housing market.

A rainwater harvesting system will also save you money in the future as many of the water companies are threatening to put up their water rates by up to 60% over the next five years.

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1043365/Householders-hit-1-000-water-prices-set-soar-60.html

A major reason for installing a rainwater system is that it will help the environment by saving billions of water and prevent flooding which is now a serious threat to many homes in the UK. Not to mention the benefits of having harvested rainwater for your plants on tap when the next drought arrives – seems hard to beleive at the moment but it will!

WHAT EXACTLY IS A RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM?

It comprises a storage tank which can be buried under garden or path, drive or patio which collects water from the roof, filters off leaves and other debris and then stores it. Then, when you flush the toilet or run the taps, a pump in the tank comes on automatically.

stormbank diagram

stormbank diagram 2

The system holds about 3 weeks worth of water, depending on the size of the building. The tank can be topped up by the water mains in case of drought as it should not run dry. If the tank gets too full after heavy rain, an overflow pipe discharges the excess to a soakaway.

A rainwater harvesting system starts saving you water immediately, and will do so for many years, with minimal upkeep and maximum reliability.There is a very useful website which identifies key questions that you might now be asking about rainwater harvesting systems such as:

  1. How does rainwater harvesting work?
  2. How much water can a system save?
  3. How much would this save on water bills?
  4. How much rainwater does a system collect?
  5. What can you use the water for?
  6. Is it only for new buildings?
  7. Is it only for houses?
  8. Where is it installed?
  9. How much does it cost?
  10. Are there any grants available?
  11. So, why should people buy Rainwater Harvesting systems?
  12. How clean is the water?
  13. Could rainwater get into my drinking supply?
  14. Do I need a big roof area to make it worthwhile?
  15. What happens when there is no rain?
  16. Can it be used when there is a hosepipe ban?
  17. Do I need to have a water meter?
  18. How is the system maintained?
  19. Who would install a Rainwater Harvesting system?
  20. Is Rainwater Harvesting a new idea?
  21. What regulations govern the installation of a system?

Answers can be found at: http://www.savetherain.info/media-centre/rainwater-harvesting-faqs.aspx

Or check out the UK Rainwater Harvesting Association at: http://www.ukrha.org/

This post was written by:

- who has written 872 posts on My Climate Change Garden.

I am not an experienced gardener - more of an enthusiastic amateur who learns by trial and error and who is keen to "manage" the effects of shifting weather patterns on my garden. Writing this blog is my passion and it has evolved over 12 years to inspire engagement with climate change outside our back doors, in our personal gardens and green spaces. My mission is to fertilise and expand this platform to grow a community of global gardeners communicating about the effects of climate change on our plants and exploring how each individual can make small changes in our lives to become more sustainable. The future of our gardens and #OurPlanet is in our hands - please plant your own seeds for our collective sustainable future.

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