To convert my toilet to be rainwater fed and not tell the water company

[Lemith]

I'm completing this project at the weekend, making my toilet connected to a reclaimed water tank that is fed by the house run off rainwater. Should easily save the costs of the project in just moved a year (free workmanship).

However I will now be getting free sewerage from this system as they won't charge on the volume. At the same time this water was going into the sewer anyway, but now will be going there less clean.

Is it wrong to do this without telling the water company?

I should make it clear - I don't want to make money but do want to cover my costs...or at least most of them. I don't want having renewables to be more expensive than not having them - which is the situation for eg solar thermal at the moment....

Good to see some posters have recognised greenwash when the see it.

Solar pumping for grey water shouldn't be too affected by variable sunlight, assuming a decent size header tank. Even a pisspoor (bad choice of words ) flow of 10 ltr/hour should be enough to keep you flushing for England over winter.

ANY design has to have an airgap between incoming mains and waste/grey water. As long as any fresh water ballcock backup has an airgap, you should be OK.

The only problem the water company will have is if there is any possibility of your rain water system backsyphoning into their clean water system
Most water companies have a regulations department that will advise on this
I would take a guess that as long as the systems are totally separate it would be OK
making it switchable probably not

Well with the two valves switched it shouldn't contaminate the water supply as will create an airlock. As the pressure is so high it seems unlikely. I guess it is possible to mix with the water supply if the valves aren't used correctly. I could just change my design to only run off rain water and use upstairs if its dry.

I'm not convinced by solar in the UK, its quite low for solar energy and the cost of other parts going makes me think at best your break even with the old feed in tarrifs.

It is strange how they don't make new builds use a grey water supply for toilets.

I'm not convinced by solar in the UK, its quite low for solar energy and the cost of other parts going makes me think at best your break even with the old feed in tarrifs.

The briefest of cursory surveys, conducted when changing planes at Heathrow would rule out the UK for any serious photovoltaic solar projects.

The fact that the only solar power show in town is ... photovoltaic ... simply confirms the whole thing is a con designed to create profits for dodgy companies. Paid for by anyone who isn't plugged into the FIT.

Now solar thermal energy is a different story. Even on a (grey) day like today, you would have "free" hot water too hot to touch. However, you can't devise a scheme to suck the money out of pensioners around those.

It is strange how they don't make new builds use a grey water supply for toilets.

Only strange if you believe all the wailing about saving the planet. However, it's not strange if you take a cynical view that "saving the planet" is something politicians mean for other people to do.

Meggy I do that too as I'm on a water meter. It's onerous, but I use a couple of buckets. I also have quick flush on both toilets. I am charged for getting water into the house and for taking it away

This link is interesting, especially the bit about storage and rises of bacteria levels.

www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/how-you-can-help/using-water-wisely/greywater-reuse.aspx

Also, I notice that cats, especially my own, seem to enjoy drinking rainwater, bowls left out, water from plant pots. It seems that the flora within the water helps with hairballs and digestion, something freshwater doesn't give them (which is fascinating in itself - how do the cats know this?!).

Also worth mentioning that in the east of England, Anglia especially, there is less rainfall. I know a farmer's wife (North West) and she told me that farmers in the west pay a subsidy so that farmers in the east can have water transported to help with lack of rainfall.

Thanks husband , I've often thought just that. Had no idea there was different solar technologies. Saying that solar in the UK has been killed with the new fit, probabaly for the best.

What a waste of public money on these panels

dimdump.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83420301853ef01538e297130970b-pi

What a waste of public money on these panels

Well, luckily we've plenty of public money to splash around. Otherwise it could have been serious.

Wait till they start degrading, and need an annual clean to keep on working. (What ? You didn't know ?). How many people will be spending £100 on cleaning to earn that life-changing £30 ?

Yes thankfully we are not short of public money.

At a council estate in Glasgow solar panels were put in maybe 6-7 years ago by the council. Regardless of the fact its grey 340 days a year the running costs forced them to take them all out.

I have a solar shower for wild camping, its a black plastic bag. Works great.

lurking I agree solar thermal is great - but as I said the problem is an average household on mains gas (depending on hot water usage) saves so little that installation (retrospective fit) is not cost effective.
Also most modern appliances now are cold fill only - so you still end up using electricity (probably even with solar pv burning fossil fuels) to heat water for a washing machine etc. (You can get some that have hot fills but they are £££ -cheaper to pay for the electricity than the premium)
You can get RHI (government money subsidy) to install Solar thermal but only towards water heating - so I had someone from Energy Saving trust come up with a fantastic joined up system for me that involved a thermal store linked to solar thermal, my wood burner and a gas combi...it would do hot water and space heating...but I couldn't get RHI because the solar thermal would contribute (a tiny bit, a side effect really) towards space heating and it isn't efficient enough for that in this country...(but then in the system suggested it would have worked well )...
The biggest joke is an installer I spoke to told me to get a wood pellet burner...and have it ripped out again after 7 yrs when the RHI finished.
Pellets are likely to go in cost long term so it won't be more cost effective than gas - but with the RHI I would get back the installation cost and make a few thousand - it was a good way to make money

I think the FIT and RHI money would have been better spent paying for free/subsidised installations - especially people with lower incomes but with no ongoing payments...they just got to keep the money they saved on bills..
(I could rant about free insulation installation - where you have to have a completely clear attic to start with, it is left unusable for storage and in that case most people could easily DIY it for less than £100 -
More complex needs are completely ignored - I found it hard to even find someone who would actually do a tricky insulation job for me, too complex for me to DIY and I was prepared to pay for it. (I did find someone in the end and got it badly done by cowboys ...and it all had to come down ..)