Park Farm, the HQ for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his River Cottage team, has undergone a revamp. Located on the Dorset/Devon borders, Park Farm has been expanded to create an onsite cookery school, events and educational base and dinner venue, which promote food provenance, integrity and locality. The River Cottage ecological ethos has been continued throughout the build process.
Everything from the FSC wood to the furniture and paint had to comply to strict environmentally-friendly criteria. This includes using reclaimed timber, wind turbines, sheep’s wool and wood fibre insulation, and installing a biomass boiler for heating. The architects have also incorporated an Envireau rainwater harvesting system, manufactured by Titan Pollution Control, for grey water capture and use.
The Envireau system they chose uses a tank with a working capacity of 15,000 litres. It collects rainwater from the roof, filters out leaves and debris and stores it in a holding tank. Water is then drawn off via a silent-running pump, passing through a series of filters, for use in a variety of non-potable applications. At Park farm it is used for flushing toilets and watering the garden around the cottage.
Mike Norton, Deputy Chairman of the UK Rainwater Harvesting Association and Technical Director of Kingspan Environmental, said: “All rainwater harvesting systems operate using typical roof drainage layouts. This means rainwater runs down the roof and into the guttering and down pipes in the normal way before passing through a filter, which removes the leaves and debris. The rainwater is then stored in an underground tank containing a pump and filter.
“The water can be used, with or without the addition of a header tank, for a variety of non-potable uses including running washing machines, toilet flushes and vehicle washing. To give an indication of storage size and capacity, the smallest rainwater harvesting system we manufacture, Economy Envireau, holds the equivalent of 1,200 litres and costs around £1,360 + VAT. The storage tank can be installed underground by either a builder or the property owner.
“However, this type of system is not usually fitted to existing properties because of the extensive internal plumbing work required. They are more suited for new-build, where the cost of plumbing them in is often negligible. By contrast, our Raintrap rainwater harvesting equipment, which is designed for use in the garden, can easily be installed into existing properties.
“Raintrap collects water in the underground tank pumps it under pressure from the tank to a hose or outside tap. So gardeners, especially those with larger gardens, no longer have to trudge back and forth to their water butts, filling and refilling a watering can. And, as an added bonus, plants really appreciate the warm, soft, chlorine-free rainwater. Raintrap costs from £1,200 + VAT.”
Kingspan Environmental are not alone in marketing rainwater harvesting systems. Whatgreenhome.com’s ethical online retail partner biggreensmile.com sells several systems at prices starting from £999. Until 31 January 2009, biggreensmile.com is offering whatgreenhome.com visitors an exclusive 5% discount on any rainwater harvesting system purchased online. To order and qualify for the discount, simply follow the above link through to checkout and enter the code 5WGH in the stipulated discount code box.
