How a giant tank under the lawn could save you £100 a year

There is some predictability about summer hose bans imposed by water companies, regardless of rainfall during the winter months.

Companies such as Southern Water warn that if a household uses a garden hose or sprinkler, cleans the car or fills a paddling pool, it could be punishable by a fine of up to £1,000.

The dictate will infuriate gardeners, as more than 500 million gallons of water leak through holes in pipes every day — enough to fill 1,000 Olympic swimming pools.

Still, there are ingenious ways to save every drop — and money.

Here’s our ultimate guide to water-saving gadgets for every budget.

Harvest rain for gardens

Did you know that the 20,000 liters of rainwater that falls on the roof of an average house every year can be collected?

Keep in mind that the average person uses 30 liters of water per day, so if this rainfall is collected it could meet the needs of two people.

Terry Nash, founder of the UK Rainwater Management Association trade association, where members sell products to reduce water waste, says: ‘We hear a lot from the government about energy saving ideas like meters, heat source pumps and solar panels – when returns on investment are often questionable.

“Yet benefits for saving water are simple, but rarely advertised.”

He explains how a 400 liter underground plastic tank with a water pump and filtration system, suitable for watering your garden or filling a paddling pool, can be bought for £1,000.

Nash says, “A space the size of a small car is enough. If you want to install it yourself, be prepared for some serious spade work. You may have to dig up to three meters deep because the tank is then covered with earth.’

He adds: ‘Drain pipes from the roof are connected to the tank. You can fix this yourself, but if you’re not sure, it’s best to leave it to a plumber. It takes a pump, so you have the pressure to power an outdoor faucet.”

Nash, who installed a tank, understands it’s pricey but believes it will pay for itself in ten years. Houses on a meter add up to £100 a year on a water bill of £440 with a harvesting system.

Details of UK Rainwater Management Association members who can help you solve your needs can be found at ukrma.org.

Tank systems for £1,000 can be purchased from Tanks Direct, Kingfisher Direct and The Tank Shop. For a cheaper option, try a 50-gallon rain barrel which costs around £40 from a DIY store.

Rain barrels usually include an adapter that allows you to cut away a small portion of the downspout to divert the water to it.

SAVINGS: £100 a year.

Reserve the good stuff for faucets

The average house flushes the toilet 5,000 times a year – with about 10,000 liters of water flowing through the pan.

If you are considering a water tank in the garden it might be worth plugging it in to flush toilets and run the washing machine.

Tanks for indoor use tend to be smaller than those for gardening, perhaps with only enough storage space for 18 days of use. This is to prevent stagnation. The filter system must also become more robust.

Mark Hull of installation company Stormsaver: ‘It is madness that we use drinking water to flush the sewage system when wasted rainwater could do the same job.

“It costs more to run the pipes of a water tank that collects the rain to be pumped into the toilet flush and washing machine systems – but it certainly makes economic sense.”

Hull says a kit containing a small 400-litre tank, control unit, pump and filtration system for a four-bedroom house, toilet, washing machine and garden tap could cost £2,300. “The ideal situation is to have it installed during the construction of a house,” adds Hull.

An instant water-saving solution that costs just £2 is to place a stone in the toilet cistern – with a Hippo Water Saver (hippo-the-watersaver.co.uk) that cuts the amount of water flushed by up to half and potentially save up to £50.

Washing machines typically use at least ten liters of water per rinse, so with three washes per week this can add up to more than 1,500 liters per year.

Switch your washing program to an eco setting and you can reduce water consumption by up to 40 percent or more than 600 liters per year. This is enough to fill about 30 bathtubs.

SAVINGS: £100 a year.

Invest in a gray water system

Greywater refers to waste bath, sink and wash water. A bath typically uses 20 liters of water, while a four-minute shower can use half that. So a family of four – two showering every day and two taking three baths a week – can handle more than 13,500 liters per year.

Junaid Patel, director of the environmental company Freeflush: ‘The quality of the rainwater is perfect, but the quantity is unpredictable due to the weather.

“Grey water requires more filtration or treatment to ensure it can be used for practical purposes.

‘However, it has one major advantage over rainwater: the quantity is much more predictable. If you use a combination of both sources, you have the ideal setup.’

Patel says you can get a 65-gallon tank for gray water flushing from around £1,000 (plus installation).

It’s about the size of a large fridge freezer and costs around £300 to install with a plumber. But if you want to have the whole house plumbed, so that gray water and rainwater feed all the drainage and gardening needs, it will cost £5,000.

Freeflush’s boss says: ‘A complete system may seem expensive, but it uses the latest technology, including Wi-Fi monitoring to keep an eye on the amount of gray water in the system.

“It automatically flushes the system if it hasn’t been used for a while, like when you’re on vacation.”

SAVINGS: Up to € 200 per year.

Meter use reduces waste

If you have more bedrooms in your home than residents, chances are it’s cheaper to install a water meter than just pay a standard rate. This also acts as a motivator to think twice when turning on the taps.

• Use a full dishwasher or washing machine — avoid using the half load settings on dishwashers and washing machines. They use more than half the energy and water of a full charge. Fill them up.
• If you have any drinking water or ice cubes left, don’t throw them down the sink, but give your plants something to drink.
• Install a £25 water-saving shower head (plumbworld.co.uk) that mixes air with the water and cuts your usage by half.

The government-backed Consumer Council for Water has a ‘water calculator’ to show other areas where you can save on usage – and costs – at ccwater.org.uk.