Water butts & rainwater harvesting, worth it?

I’ve been mulling over the idea of somehow collecting water to water this stoopid size garden we’ve ended up with. But the more i look at it, the more i think it just isn’t worth the hassle. Water butts to collect 1000L of water will cost about £200. But 1000L of water only costs about £1.50 (assuming i’m reading my bill correctly). So i’m gonna have to empty them loads to make it worthwhile. Then, given the weather this year, they would have been emptied weeks ago & last summer they wouldn’t have been needed cos it was so wet.

PS, my water bills for a 3 person household are about £200 per quarter, is that a lot?

I have the similar thought from time to time. It’s nice to harvest rain/grey water, but it really isn’t that cost effective is it!

DrP

Buy IBC containers they are much cheaper

http://www.smithsofthedean.co.uk/

+1 for IBCs. Some places will give them away free if they are too grotty to use (but fine for watering the garden)

I have bought them for 80 quid and as you say grotty ones that have had glue and the like in get given away

+1 for IBC`s

IMO it’s as much a case of availability as cost – in the event of low reservoirs and a hose pipe ban (connected to the mains) it gets you out of trouble, unless you want to be watering everything using watering cans, which is the alternative.

Rainwater is also great for washing cars (Hook up the pressure washer)as it leaves no watermarks….
Last year in Norfolk I think we had a hosepipe ban for about 8 months, which would have made things a little difficult without the rainwater harvesting

The only problem with collecting rain water is when it hasn’t rained for a bit they quickly run out of water.