Rain Water Harvesting
Saving Water and Reducing Consumption
Global Energy Direct supply a wide range of Rainwater Harvesting products that save water and reduce mains consumption.
Harvested rainwater has many uses, but is usually used for non-potable purposes such as WC flushing, clothes washing, grounds watering, pond filling and a range of industrial purposes. In the UK, rainwater can be used for WC flushing, washing machines and garden watering, with no further treatment needed.
We supply many different sizes of rainwater tanks ranging from domestic scale (3000+ litres of water storage) through the commercial scale (15000+ litres of water storage – for schools and offices).
We also supply industrial scale solutions to save water from factory roofs or aircraft hangars (60,000 litres+ of water storage).
Contact us on 0800 652 0058 for expert help and advice in selecting the best water harvesting solution for your home or workplace.
Rainwater Harvesting – a brief history:
Rainwater harvesting has been, and still is, used by communities all over the world as a source of water when access to river water, well water or bore water was either not accessible, or inadequate for a settlement’s needs.
One of the earliest known large scale examples is the ancient city of Petra, in Jordan, where rainfall was channelled to large reservoirs dug in the rock 2,000 years ago.
Many dwellings built during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century in the UK had large underground storage tanks for collecting rainwater, which would then be used back in the building. As the mains network spread, coupled with the advent of a chlorinated mains supply, the use of rainwater within buildings fell out of use in the UK, as it did in most towns and cities in the industrialised world.
The UK Rainwater Harvesting Association (UKRHA):
Formed in 2004, the main remits of the UKRHA are to:
- Encourage the growth and development of the rainwater harvesting industry in the UK.
- Work with the Government to drive up legislative standards for installed systems.
The emerging environmental building movement in the UK recognised the role that rainwater had to play as part of the services strategy for a sustainable building and a few pioneering companies began to import the idea and the technology into the UK in the late 1990’s. There are still only a few thousand systems installed in the UK but the industry is growing rapidly and has its own lead body, the UK Rainwater Harvesting Association (UKRHA), which was formed in 2002. In 2006, 1000 rainwater harvesting systems were installed, a 300% increase since 2003. The industry is now worth over £3m per year. Most system components in the UK market are German, and the UK industry draws heavily on Germany’s experience of installing rainwater harvesting systems.
The UK Government is keen to see rainwater harvesting systems taken up in a much wider way, and DEFRA are currently looking at how to increase the sales of systems under their market transformation programme. It is expected that they will recommend rainwater as ‘fit for purpose’ with no further treatment and that there will be grants available.
