Residential Rainwater Harvesting
Communal rainwater harvesting collects rainwater from the roof of each home and stores it centrally, providing a reliable, non-potable water supply to every property.
If your site is locked in the planning system over drainage or water use challenges, communal harvesting can help you to overcome these barriers. See if this is ideal for your project below.
Unlock more Buildable Land
Who are our Communal Systems designed for?
Large Housing Developers
Reduce the size of Swales and Basins by incorporating a communal rainwater harvesting system within your new development - allowing more space for homes.
Student Accommodation Developers
Reduce operating costs in bills-included purpose-built student accommodation units by incorporating rainwater reuse.
Housing Associations
Unlock more buidable land by incorporating rainwater reuse in areas where water and drainage challenges are hindering planning progress.
Build-to-Rent Developers
Offer your tenants a sustainable living choice by allowing them to reduce their water footprint and save on their water bills.
Build Sustainable Communities
Our Communal Solutions
Our high-quality systems are designed with over two decades worth of experience in mind and can help save up to 25 litres per person every day. Take a look at our residential solutions below.
Cost effective & Scalable
Housing Development System
Communal systems offer a smart, space-saving solution for multi-home developments, making it easy to meet water management goals without compromising on buildable land – research by Enabling Water Smart Communities found that communal systems are on average 50% more cost effective to install than individual plot equivalents.
Rainwater is collected from each roof space and transported via dedicated pipework to a central storage tank, typically located beneath green spaces. This tank integrates with your attenuation capacity.
From the central tank, filtered rainwater is boosted to Rainwater Sub Stations serving clusters of homes. These compact units handle everything, pumps, filtration, smart controls, and an automatic mains top-up to guarantee uninterrupted supply.
Reliable & Versatile
Multi-Residential Building System
In “bills-included” properties, switching to a recycled rainwater supply can dramatically reduce mains water demand and save you money. It works by collecting rainwater from the roof, passing it through various filters, and storing it in a central tank. From there, it’s distributed throughout the building as a non-potable supply, perfect for toilet flushing, laundry, and irrigation.
These buildings are also perfect for combined water reuse systems that include greywater recycling, which collects water from showers, handwash basins, and bathtubs for reuse. Together, rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling can boost the available volumes of non-potable water, which is available for use, reducing water consumption even further.
Compliance Information
We help ensure compliance with the relevant regulations and guidance for rainwater harvesting.
British Standard 16941-1 2024
All Stormsaver communal rainwater solutions are designed to conform with the latest standards for rainwater harvesting in the UK. Our experts also size our systems based on the 18 day sizing methodology as set out under the standard. This means your rainwater harvesting system will be sized to hold enough rainwater for an 18 day period.
Future Homes Standard
The Future Homes Hub Water Ready Report targets a per capita consumption rate of 85 litres per person per day in seriously water stressed areas by 2035. Rainwater reuse systems will be essential to achieving these more ambitious water efficiency goals – allowing a 25 litres per person per day saving for utilising rainwater.
WRAS Compliant Air Gaps
WRAS Compliant
All Stormsaver rainwater reuse systems are designed to ensure suitable protections of the public water supplies. All of our systems are supplied with the appropriate air gaps required to physically separate the mains water and rainwater supplies, reducing the risk of cross-contamination.
We also supply our systems with a detailed installation manual to ensure our installer community is well-versed in safe installation practices. Please note, full compliance is the responsibility of the installer.
National SuDs Standard
Collecting rainwater for non-potable reuse is classed as “priority one” within latest UK Government Standard on sustainable urban drainage for new developments. Our team of experts can help you comply with this latest standard.
Added Value Features
With over 20 years of hands-on expertise, our optional enhancements are engineered to offer ease of maintenance and improved performance.
Automatic Backwash Filtration
UV Disinfection
Active Attenuation
FAQs
Got a question?
Can communal rainwater reuse be linked with attenuation?
Yes! Communal rainwater harvesting and attenuation can be integrated into a single, efficient solution.
This combined approach can:
- Reduce installation requirements
- Lower overall costs
- Save valuable development space
To ensure that flood prevention capacity is always maintained, smart controls are used. Our Active Attenuation Technologies continuously monitor weather forecasts and automatically manage water levels to keep attenuation capacity available when needed.
Interested in combining communal reuse with on-site attenuation?
Get in touch using the contact details below.
How much space is needed for a communal rainwater reuse system?
The space needed for a development-wide communal system depends on site-specific factors like occupancy, scale, and the number of homes. Our team is happy to help with bespoke sizing and layout advice, just get in touch.
Here’s a general guide to the key space considerations:
- Rainwater Substations
Each water substation is typically about the size of a single garage. It houses the automatic mains water top-up system, which is essential for safe and reliable operation. The number of substations depends on the development’s phasing and total number of homes.
- Below-Ground Storage
The size of the storage tank(s) depends on both rainwater reuse and attenuation requirements. These tanks can often be installed beneath communal open spaces, such as playgrounds or green areas, helping maximise usable land.
- Dual Pipework
Space should be allocated in service ducts for:- Rainwater collection pipes leading to the storage system.
- Pressurised rainwater supply lines feeding each home from the rainwater substation.
- Inside the home, minimal space is needed, just enough for rainwater supply pipework to the toilet, washing machine, and garden tap.
Why should I choose a communal rainwater harvesting scheme over an individual plot system?
Communal rainwater reuse systems offer several advantages, particularly for larger housing developments:
- Long-term maintenance and care
Responsibility for maintenance is handled centrally, rather than relying on individual homeowners. This ensures the system is properly managed and maintained over its lifetime. - Improved safety and reduced risk of contamination
Key control components are housed in a secure, isolated area, not inside individual homes, reducing the risk of tampering or unsafe modifications. - Better use of space
With no need for control equipment inside homes, internal space is freed up. Storage tanks can be located beneath communal green spaces instead of using surface-level swales or basins, allowing for more homes to be built. - Cost-effectiveness
Research by Enabling Water Smart Communities shows that communal systems can cost around £2,000 per property, compared to £4,000 for individual plot systems. This makes communal schemes a more economical choice.
What is the cost of communal rainwater harvesting in the UK?
Costs can vary depending on the size of the development, number of occupants, and available space. However, independent research by Enabling Water Smart Communities offers useful estimates.
On average, the additional cost per property for infrastructure and treatment equipment in a communal rainwater harvesting system is around £2,000. In comparison, individual plot systems can cost approximately £4,000 per property.
This suggests that communal systems are often more cost-effective. Moreover, these costs can be further offset by:
- Space savings (freeing up land for additional homes).
- Environmental incentives offered by water companies for new developments.
Can communal rainwater harvesting systems be adopted?
Yes, communal rainwater harvesting systems can be adopted, but typically only by a private estate management organisation.
Under the Water Industry Act 1991, Water Utility Companies and New Appointments and Variations (NAVs) are not permitted to supply non-potable water (such as harvested rainwater) to customers. As a result, adoption must be handled by a qualified private body responsible for long-term maintenance and operation.
Can I collect and reuse rainwater from hard standing areas?
Generally, collecting rainwater from hard standing areas (such as roads, driveways, and car parks) is much more difficult than just collecting from roof spaces.
If rainwater is collected from hard surfaces, additional treatment, ongoing maintenance, and careful aftercare are essential to ensure water safety and system performance. For most residential developments, it’s best to collect from roof surfaces only, in line with best practice and based on our experiences of water reuse over the past two decades.
