I’ve been guilty of wasting water on many occasions, especially when it comes to hot showers. I really enjoy standing in the tub as water near “boiling” temperature hits my body. Of course this is not good for the skin, the monthly heating bills, and it’s letting good water go to waste. But there are also phases I go through where I conserve a lot of water by not showering for weeks at a time or by turning off the water while I soap and lather. I should know better considering the fact I’ve spent months in countries where they have droughts and major shortages of drinking water.
I recently came across the reAqua System which is a great way to conserve water by using “graywater” from baths, showers, and some sinks. The reAqua System uses used water from your bath/shower to flush the toilet. Not only that but the system can also extract heat from the “graywater” and feed it back into the central heating. The system can easily fit into a cupboard or against a wall.
The reAqua and reAqua+ are currently available in the United Kingdom. According to the company, these two systems are able to help reduce water consumption by one-third. In the UK, a family of four will save 110,000 liters of water on average each year by using the reAqua system.
The system can easily be retrofitted into a current building with ease. The plumbing setup in your home is revised and the waste water is redirected from baths/showers and some sinks through a compact reAqua filtration unit where the water is treated with a disinfectant. The treated water collects in a tank and the modified plumbing allows this water to supply the flushing water for multiple toilets.
The reAqua System can help a family of four save between $311 and $771 a year, with an expected payback time of three to seven years. And of course, there are also some measurable energy savings thanks to the heat extraction capabilities.
The whole thing sounds pretty cool but convincing people to make the switch might be a challenge. I think it might be better if the company works with real estate developers and implement the system in new homes being built. As a matter of fact, this could be one of the selling features.
