13 December 2022
LARGE SCALE & COMMERCIAL RAINWATER HARVESTING
The efficient use of water is becoming increasingly important. Water conservation efforts are receiving heightened attention and rainwater harvesting has become a major strategy in today’s economic environment.
Each year, thousands of litres of water may be going down the drain on your property that could be put to better use. As water resources are stressed in communities throughout many parts of Australia and all over the world, and consumer demand is increasing for companies to reduce their environmental impact, rainwater harvesting is increasingly sought after by both the general public and commercial organisations.
Rainwater harvesting systems are progressively becoming a part of sustainable water management measures and an important part of determining the environmental friendliness of a building. Many commercial operations use a significant amount of water and energy in their daily operations, and rainwater harvesting helps secure fresh water, thus helping to reduce a company’s carbon footprint…
Whether you’re searching for long-term cost savings or striving to be an eco-friendly company and achieve a green star rating, a commercial rainwater harvesting system can help reduce your water usage by as much as 40% while reducing your environmental impact at the same time – set your business apart! Just one commercial rainwater harvesting system can prevent tens of thousands of litres of stormwater run-off every time it rains and help save 2-3 million litres of municipal water per year which translates into saving thousands of dollars in water bills each year and providing a real return on investment.
Businesses that choose to implement commercial rainwater harvesting systems not only conserve millions of litres of water over the lifetime of the system but save money by using the harvested water for a variety of applications such as irrigation & agriculture, laundry, fixture flushing, cooling towers, vehicle & equipment washing, fire suppression, etc.
The technology for large commercial and industrial rainwater harvesting is the same for smaller installations, the only difference is simply the size and scale. Most commercial and industrial premises have a large amount of roof space that can easily be converted to improve rainwater harvesting. There are numerous and far-reaching benefits of a good commercial rainwater harvesting scheme:
- It’s better for industrial machinery as rainwater is kinder than a treated mains supply of ‘harder’ water.
- Approximately reductions of up to 80% of your water bill on a commercial application can be expected.
Examples of large-scale commercial rainwater harvesting systems:
- Alba Thermal Springs & Spa in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula collect rainwater in 10,000-litre tanks, which are used for irrigating their gardens and for their onsite nursery.
- The Currumbin Ecovillage is a 147-lot development over 270 acres of land in the Gold Coast Hinterland. All the water supplied to the houses in the development is from a combination of large (greater than 20kL) rainwater tanks.
- One of New Zealand’s leading architects Warren and Mahoney (W+M)’s first multi-storey timber office building is targeting a low embodied carbon footprint in its construction process and the highest 6 Green Star design rating incorporating rainwater harvesting and other sustainable approaches.
- The Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo uses its full 8,000m² roof to serve a rainwater harvesting system, draining into a massive 1,000 cubic metre tank below the building. Japan has embraced rainwater harvesting technology on a large scale, introducing it to all their main buildings.
- In Berlin they have gone for a collective approach at the Daimler Chrysler Potsdamer Platz. A combined rooftop area of 32,000m² collects rainwater from 19 buildings to provide potable water from a 3,500 cubic metre tank.
- One of the most iconic and controversial buildings in London, the Millennium Dome, uses a water collection system to catch the run-off from its curved structure. With a 90,000m² surface area, the water is collected through a gutter and is passed through a series of hoppers to the main storage system.
- The Museum of London has also embraced the notion of large-scale rainwater harvesting with its 850m² roof and a 25,000-litre storage tank. They have also gone hi-tech, linking up the installation performance with their own building management system. The water is used to irrigate their green roof as well as supplied to the toilets in the bar and theatre
- The Olympics in London came to the rainwater harvesting party when the Velodrome was used for supplying the toilets and gardens. Half the 13,000m² roof was used to collect rainwater reducing mains water usage by 40%.
Orion work on large projects just as smaller single-property installations - providing complete rainwater harvesting systems and solutions for residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural projects. Our water harvesting tanks come in a wide range of options and sizes and can be customised to meet your specific requirements.
Our knowledgeable staff has a combined experience of over 60 years in the rainwater harvesting business. If you or your organisation are involved in water conservation, sustainable water management and green building standards in your projects, we would love to hear from you and provide our professional services with a cost-effective approach to address the escalating issue of water conservation and management through our innovative rainwater harvesting systems.
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