Output details

Whole life cost performance of domestic rainwater harvesting systems in the United Kingdom

This paper reports on the application of a more rigorous financial analysis of domestic Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) systems. Whole life cycle costing was selected as the most appropriate financial assessment technique. It was found that harvesting rainwater was significantly less cost effective than relying solely on mains-only water. The domestic RWH systems generally resulted in financial losses approximately equal to their capital costs. This is in contrast with previous findings using more simplified methods of assessment that predict significantly higher water and financial savings compared with the detailed model presented.