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Green Trends in Raleigh, NC - Capturing Rainwater

Rain, and water, is on the minds of North Carolinians right now. Water, and the lack of it, is mentioned in almost every newscast, and there's at least one story in every newspaper edition.

Raleigh Custom Home Builder - rainwater People are wondering what to do. You and I are used to being able to go outside, turn on the hose, and water the lawn. Heck, it's almost a tradition in some families to pull out the hose and wash down the cars every Saturday morning. What better way to spend a warm, sunny Carolina morning than spraying down the cars (and the kids)?

At Stanton Homes, we started looking into ways to help conserve water, both now and in the future. We found that Rainwater Collection Systems, while very popular in some countries, were ALMOST unheard of in the United States. But that's changing.

I decided to write an informative article. I wanted to share all the information I had gathered, and tell people where to find these systems, as it took some digging for me to find out about the subject.

To date, the most popular blog I've ever written is this:

Rain Water Collection Systems - What Are They, How Do They Work, and How Much Do They Cost?

Not only is it the most popular in terms of views, this article also has the highest click-through rate of anything I've written - 85% click through. I was surprised, at first, how much water conservation is on the minds of homeowners.

Raleigh Custom Home Builder - rainwater - green building trends It's obvious, now, that folks are starting to ask questions about how they will help save water in the long term. They're starting to look into collection systems as a viable alternative. We've even been interviewed by home improvement expert Bob Vila, and featured in a national article, due to the simple fact that we offer rainwater harvesting to our homebuyers. It's still a young trend in our nation, but interest is growing.

There are a lot of options: above ground and underground, with more and less elaborate filtering systems, in varying sizes. The biggest step is deciding what to use, and whether to take a permanent step to help conserve water - and be able to fulfill gardening and landscaping hobbies, which for many people is a very fulfilling activity.

I hope that my article continues to be helpful, and that we will be asked to integrate systems into more homes as we move forward. It sure feels like this is the "wave" of the future!

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Posted by Stanton Homes - Penny Hull New Home Builders - Raleigh NC Area on 03/05/2008 06:47 AM

Comments (14)

Rainwater Collection in the Home Buying Channel

rainwater, green awareness, raleigh custom home builder, relocation package, relocating to raleigh, retiring to raleigh

Originally posted at: Stanton Homes - Building Green in the Triangle: Green Trends in Raleigh, NC - Capturing Rainwater

This post has been included in North Carolina Information Orange County, NC Information Chapel Hill, NC Information

14 Comments on Green Trends in Raleigh, NC - Capturing Rainwater

MAR

2008

Not only saving water, but in some areas water is getting expensive. Thanks for the information.

Very informative, thanks for the effort to keep us abreast.

For as little rain as we get in the Southwest, we should be looking at more and more ways to utilize what does fall here! Good post.

Saw in the paper today that for $49 you can get a WATER AUDIT of your home! Seems like that might be a good idea! Had lots of fun last night! Thanks for coming!

Great push, We will see water and the control of water become the next "oil". Big business all over the world, and it is wonderful that so many of us can actually make a difference on a small scale, that will grow into a huge impact.

Kenneth - We've had a lot of talk in this area about increasing water usage fees. I'm sure it's going to happen.

Matthew - Glad to help.

Kent - even in areas with lower amounts of rainwall, these systems can be helpful, particularly when integrated into large buildings.

Rainwater collection systems are excellent. If you are careful about the type of soaps you use, gray water recycling can also be used to water outside plants. We had a dry spell in Sonoma County, CA last year. I found that installing drip irrigation, low flow shower heads and other low flow plumbing fixtures helped quite a bit. Also try doing fewer loads in your dishwasher and washing machine. Building awareness and demonstrating to people that they have an opportunity to not only conserve resources but save money, is usually an easy sell. Consider giving away low flow aerators for faucets at trade shows, open houses, etc. They don't cost much and it lets people know what kind of stand you are taking. Cheers! Cindy

MAR

2008

Eleanor - Water Audit for $49, wonder what that involves? Sounds like someone should do some research and find out who the reputable water auditers are! I think there are some free online water audits that homeowners can fill out. I'll see if I can find some to share.

Michael - You're right, it's one person at a time that accomplishes many of the biggest changes. And sometimes it's increasing costs that change habits...

Cindy - Great ideas. I've also done a post on Gray Water systems. These are not as prevalent as rainwater systems, but the idea is certainly out there.

Here's the information Stanton Homes has put together about grey water systems:

Gray Water Reclamation System - What is it? How does it work? How much does it cost, and how much water can it save?

Howdy Penny

The show This Old House

has a done a couple

of shows,

that they where helping

to redo the homes.

The homes where puting

in a Rain Water Collection System.

One of the homes got a 10 star rating

for every thing green they had used.

Have a good one

Dale

MAR

2008

Thanks for the post. I just went to a rain barrel workshop last weekend where we built our own rain barrels. I have to say it is amazing how much water it collects. I generally never water my lawn out of guilt but I think this year I may actually have a lawn that lives all summer, but then I may have to mow all summer hmmm decisions decisions. Have a great day!!

MAR

2008

Hi Penny - this is a great post that all of us, no matter where we live, can put to good use. I began collecting rainwater a couple of years ago for watering my plants each summer. I have been doing it in my own clumsy way, using whatever containers I have and setting them out to catch the rain water. I'll have to check out your system and see about upgrading to something fancier and likely more efficient.

Thanks for the infor in this post!
Ann

MAR

2008

Dale - Between exposure on This Old House, the Discovery Channel, and Bob Vila, I think more and more people are at least understanding what a rainwater collection system is, and thinking about whether or not they want one.

Chris - Making your own rain barrel can be fun and helpful. Holly Springs offers classes to make your own. Haven't noticed any classes yet from other local towns.

Ann - Sounds like you've got a great system - free containers! You might be able to get full size rain barrels at cost, many towns are starting to offer this service, if you'd like something larger.

JUN

2008

Very interesting.

If the economics don't work, recycling and sustainable efforts won't either.
Check http://LivePaths.com a blog about innovative entrepreneurs that make money selling recycled items, provide green services or help us reduce our dependency on non renewable resources. These include some very cool Green online ventures, great new technologies, startups and investments opportunities.

AUG

Hi everyone. What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on? I am from Guinea-Bissau and learning to speak English, give true I wrote the following sentence: "The of the article creating a preschool art lesson plan in day care is owned by erica loop." With respect :p, Grant.

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