When we think of rainwater harvesting, we tend to envisage a full scale domestic system with a large tank, say 4000 litres, buried underground, providing water to the toilets, washing machine et al. This can be a costly business (especially if it's a retrofit project) with not much change from £7,000.

So if budget, or space, is a bit tight, and you want to do your bit, the Raincatcher 700 may be worth a look.

It's a British made, all-in-one, 700 litre, above-ground tank. It comes complete with submersible pump, and all the bits you need to start harvesting rainwater. With a bit of thought around positioning, and a little bit of DIY, you can fix it up to a downstairs loo, or indeed the washing machine. And all for around £700!

So small really is beautiful! (Well the price certainly is!)

Finally, a link to an thought provoking article on water which makes some interesting points.

Photo by Yuliya Libkina

About the author: Barry Nutley is co-founder and director of Viridis Energie Consultants

About the author: Barry Nutley is co-founder and director of Viridis Energie Consultants

If you have a question about anything in the above blog, please ask it in the comments section below.