Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

This time of year, we think about lack of water and extra water bills. Would having your own rainwater tank be wise or affordable?  Doing the numbers  An average kiwi homes use 150,000 litres a year. There is usually a fixed charge for being in the system then a usage charge for the number of litres you use.  In Auckland that’s $190 fixed and about $500 usage.   If you got a 5000L tank, this would be refilled every time it rains. Estimate this saving at least half your water use or around $250 per annum. A 5000L tank can be as cheap as $950. Or top of the line fancy slim tank that fits anywhere or maybe an in ground tank, $3500 So in 4-10 years (water prices are only going up) you have paid for it and you are saving that amount of money every year.  How to collect rainwater? My favourite way is to a system that collects water for a while, catching pollution and bird dropping sfrom the roof. You then ditch this, and the cleaner water is sent to your tank If you don’t trust the rain water then it can be directe