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Rainwater harvesting in Greater Sydney: Water savings, reliability and economic benefits

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  • Rahman, Ataur
  • Keane, Joseph
  • Imteaz, Monzur Alam

Abstract

Due to greater environmental awareness and mandatory water restrictions in many Australian cities, rainwater tanks have become popular in recent years. This paper investigates the water savings potential of rainwater tanks fitted in detached houses at 10 different locations in Greater Sydney, Australia. A water balance simulation model on daily time scale is developed and water savings, reliability and financial viability are examined for three different tank sizes, 2kL, 3kL and 5kL. It is found that the average annual water savings from rainwater tanks are strongly correlated with average annual rainfall. It is also found that the benefit cost ratios for the rainwater tanks are smaller than 1.00 without government rebate. It is noted that a 5kL tank is preferable to 2kL and 3kL tanks and rainwater tanks should be connected to toilet, laundry and outdoor irrigation to achieve the best financial outcome for the home owners. The results from this study suggest that government authorities in Sydney should maintain or possibly increase the rebate for rainwater tanks to enhance its acceptance.

Suggested Citation

  • Rahman, Ataur & Keane, Joseph & Imteaz, Monzur Alam, 2012. "Rainwater harvesting in Greater Sydney: Water savings, reliability and economic benefits," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 16-21.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:61:y:2012:i:c:p:16-21
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2011.12.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    8. Imteaz, Monzur Alam & Shanableh, Abdallah & Rahman, Ataur & Ahsan, Amimul, 2011. "Optimisation of rainwater tank design from large roofs: A case study in Melbourne, Australia," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 55(11), pages 1022-1029.
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    Cited by:

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    4. Hashim, H. & Hudzori, A. & Yusop, Z. & Ho, W.S., 2013. "Simulation based programming for optimization of large-scale rainwater harvesting system: Malaysia case study," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1-9.
    5. Silva Vieira, A. & Weeber, M. & Ghisi, E., 2013. "Self-cleaning filtration: A novel concept for rainwater harvesting systems," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 67-73.
    6. Imteaz, Monzur Alam & Ahsan, Amimul & Shanableh, Abdallah, 2013. "Reliability analysis of rainwater tanks using daily water balance model: Variations within a large city," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 37-43.
    7. Santos, C. & Taveira-Pinto, F., 2013. "Analysis of different criteria to size rainwater storage tanks using detailed methods," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 1-6.
    8. Dumit Gómez, Yapur & Teixeira, Luiza Girard, 2017. "Residential rainwater harvesting: Effects of incentive policies and water consumption over economic feasibility," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 56-67.
    9. Agnieszka Stec & Daniel Słyś, 2022. "Financial and Social Factors Influencing the Use of Unconventional Water Systems in Single-Family Houses in Eight European Countries," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-25, January.
    10. Jing, Xueer & Zhang, Shouhong & Zhang, Jianjun & Wang, Yujie & Wang, Yunqi, 2017. "Assessing efficiency and economic viability of rainwater harvesting systems for meeting non-potable water demands in four climatic zones of China," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 74-85.
    11. Okoye, Chiemeka Onyeka & Solyalı, Oğuz & Akıntuğ, Bertuğ, 2015. "Optimal sizing of storage tanks in domestic rainwater harvesting systems: A linear programming approach," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 131-140.
    12. Campisano, Alberto & Modica, Carlo, 2012. "Optimal sizing of storage tanks for domestic rainwater harvesting in Sicily," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 9-16.
    13. Karim, Md. Rezaul & Bashar, Mohammad Zobair Ibne & Imteaz, Monzur Alam, 2015. "Reliability and economic analysis of urban rainwater harvesting in a megacity in Bangladesh," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 61-67.
    14. Mahmood, Asif & Hossain, Faisal, 2017. "Feasibility of managed domestic rainwater harvesting in South Asian rural areas using remote sensing," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 157-168.
    15. Ghisi, Enedir & Rupp, Ricardo Forgiarini & Triska, Yuri, 2014. "Comparing indicators to rank strategies to save potable water in buildings," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 137-144.

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