We recommend you save water during any April showers which you can then use to water your garden over the drier summer months. Using a water butt to collect water during wetter periods of the year makes perfect sense. A water butt is easy to install – just attach to a downpipe of your house or any garden building that has a gutter system, such as a shed, garage, greenhouse, or conservatory.
Did you know that you can collect an estimated 85,000 litres of rainwater from an average house roof every year (from Energy Saving Trust).
Using this valuable free resource has many benefits:
- Help the environment by doing your bit to conserve water.
- Lower water bills – If you have a water meter, when the weather is hot and dry, you can harvest the saved water in your water butt instead of paying to water your garden.
- Rainwater is much better for your garden than treated tap water.
- Beat hosepipe bans and drought orders during a particularly dry period.
- You can also use your saved water to wash the car or top up a garden pond.
Photo by GAP Photography
There are many different water butts available, one to suit most households. There are slimline water butts for fitting into tight spaces or if you have lots of room you may consider increasing your water storage capacity. Connect several butts together with a linking kit so that when one water butt is full, the water will automatically flow into the next. Many come with stands so the tap is at the right height to fit a watering can underneath.
Keep your water butt well covered to prevent debris falling in or algae, slime, or scum from forming – if it does appear try adding a rainwater treatment which should keep it clean for months. A well-covered water butt is also safer for children and pets.
Hozelock also has an article about saving water in the garden including informative top tips on how to use their products to ‘water wisely’.
