Rainwater Harvesting

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Why is the project relevant to you?

The UK's water supply is under pressure due to climate change and population growth. It's important to use water efficiently. Collecting rainwater can help by providing water for uses that don't need to be drinkable. This project focused on businesses, but rainwater harvesting can also be done at home.

Key messages for I need a broader perspective

Public buildings and retail sites have the potential to reduce demand on public water supply per square meter through rainwater harvesting because they have high occupancy and non-drinking water demand.

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Thinking about the additional benefits of collecting rainwater, like reducing storm overflows, makes it more appealing to invest in adding these systems to existing buildings.

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Knowing how much water your business uses and what it's used for is the most important to understand if collecting rainwater will be beneficial. This includes understanding how much drinkable and non-drinkable water you need.

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The project found that the amount of existing public water supply water demand saved was similar in both summer and winter. This might change our understanding of the effectiveness of rainwater harvesting during drier months.

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