According to the daily doom and gloom, an El Nino is here to stay. It’s time to start installing water-saving technologies if you haven’t done so already. At the Mustbethrifty House, we’re making the most of the last bit of rain by putting in rainwater tanks.

The tanks are made from plastic. In terms of longevity and disposal, plastic tanks aren’t as environmentally friendly as stainless steel ones but they make the cost of the initial setup much more affordable. I’m hoping that by the time I need to replace my water tank, I’ll have a ‘good job that pays good money’ for good stainless steel water tanks (or a house in Sydney or whatever).

A plumber will be connecting the tanks to our toilet and laundry. According to Melbourne Water, using collected rainwater for toilet and laundry instead of/as well as the garden also helps protects local waterways from excess runoff:

If tank water is used for your garden alone, your tank will remain full and unused during the winter months when your garden does not require watering. With a full tank, your capacity to capture and store the regular winter rainfall and thus benefit the local waterway is significantly reduced.

By plumbing your rainwater tank to your toilet or laundry, your tank water is used consistently all year round allowing rainfall to refill the tank more often especially in winter. This ultimately reduces the volume of stormwater that is delivered to the stream and the quantity of pollutants that are washed with it.

We’re hoping the plumbing gets done before the Living Victorian Rebate Program ends, so that we can claim back a portion of the installation cost. 🙂

A water tank is a large economic investment that may not necessarily give much return in dollars and cents. We’re installing these babies more for feel-goodness with the hope that they will add value to our property.

If you want to save money as well as water, you’re better off replacing your showerhead and or toilet with more water-efficient models. The ATA reiterates this in their free report on the economics of water-saving technology and it is a fascinating read for the mustbethrifty. The economic argument for replacing showerheads/toilets is even more persuasive if you factor in the incentives/rebates that are still kicking around from state and local governments. But you’ll have to be quick to make the most of it: June 30 quick that is.