Water is a vital element for human survival. But treating it to make it drinkable is becoming increasingly expensive. The challenge today is to be able to use it wisely, by collecting and storing it and then using it moderately and appropriately. Households and communities alike have solutions at their disposal. What are they?
The increasingly “salty” water bill
As the water bill becomes more and more important over the years, for a similar consumption, many households turn to the rainwater collector. It is an interesting solution in the medium and long term since this equipment reduces the bill for water consumption by 40% on average. But the cost of purchasing and installing the water collector being relatively high, the State has released a budget to help individuals to equip themselves .
Aid for individuals
If there was previously a tax credit, it has since been removed. On the other hand, it is still possible to benefit from a VAT exemption. This having been reduced from 20% to 10%, this represents a saving of 10%, provided that the rainwater collector was sold and installed by the same craftsman.
Also, each town hall, more or less sensitive to the problem of its residents which ultimately concerns it in a more or less direct way, is able to grant any applicant a certain amount to help households equip themselves. This is on a case-by-case basis since the income of potential future beneficiaries is taken into account to benefit from it, and it is important to make the request before purchasing and installing the equipment.
is also likely to provide a financial contribution based on the applicants’ income, provided that the accommodation was completed 15 years ago.
Communities also concerned about rainwater harvesting
Water recovery and intelligent use is not just a goal for individuals. Professionals who use large volumes of water on a daily basis are of course concerned. We are thinking in particular of farmers, agri-food companies and also some industrialists. As environmental budgets are shrinking over the years, communities are also turning to solutions that reduce their costs for water recovery and treatment.
Rainwater collectors: we see their installation becoming frequent around buildings belonging to local authorities. They represent a first step towards reducing costs since this water does not need to be treated when it comes to watering green spaces in municipalities. However, this type of maintenance can quickly become a financial drain for certain municipalities depending on their geographical location and surface area. Another example is the municipal football pitch. While for green spaces, irrigation solutions can be installed and limit watering or if the choice of species and types of plants chosen can be decisive, the football pitch, for its part, must always be watered to remain usable. Communities that have not chosen to use a recovery tarpaulin or a recovery tank such as a water barrel could quickly regret it. However, they have the disadvantage of a limited reserve capacity.
Rainwater treatment: to take the concept further and thus systematically benefit from rainwater, new technologies now make it possible not only to collect it, but also to treat it in order to make it drinkable, and to distribute it to homes. This system being very expensive at the start and its amortization period relatively long (30 years), its presence is still modest on the national territory, and does not allow 100% distribution. But it remains a major issue at the heart of the concerns of local authorities in the near future.
