I am fully supportive of all technologies which contribute to the conservation of water. Rainwater harvesting has the potential to contribute to reducing the cost of water services for certain uses as well as benefiting the environment.
Irish Water has an overall remit to promote water conservation. The use of water meters whereby the household will be charged for the amount of water they use will encourage greater efficiency and water conservation. On this basis, using rainwater collected via a rainwater harvesting system for some 30% of water usage where drinking water quality is not required such as flushing toilets, watering gardens, etc. should assist in reducing utility bills for consumers.
The cost of installing a rainwater harvesting system to a property is dependent on the roof, guttering and downpipe layout and on the level of alterations required to internal plumbing. It will be a matter for the property owner to decide, once the tariff structure for water charges is known later this year, how cost-effective such installations would be.