If you’re worried about the increasing cost of your water bill there is something that you can do about it. Many houses are on water meters in the country that often increase bills greatly. Fortunately it is possible to reduce you water bill and help to protect the environment at the same time. Rainwater harvesting is an idea that has been around for millennia and is a very simple way to reduce the volume of water that you use every year. Rainwater which would otherwise be lost down the drain is gathered by a number of methods and may be used for a range of purposes. Most houses could really benefit from a rainwater harvesting system and there numerous options from which to choose. Some examples are: Water Butt This is the most affordable and simplest means of harvesting rain. In essence this is just a big barrel that gathers water from the down spouts. You can use the water that’s gathered to water your garden and perform other household tasks. Watering your plants with gathered rainwater is much better than using the mains supply as rainwater is of course soft which virtually all plants prefer. Rainwater Harvesting System This is the best answer for all areas which have a small yearly rainfall level. Water is gathered by downpipes from the roofing and piped to a storage water tank which may be either above or underground. The water is filtered to get rid of any big items of debris while a settlement tank will allow smaller items to settle on the bottom. Any water that is gathered can then be moved to your header tank and put to use in household purposes. If there is not enough stored water to fill the tank more can be added from the mains supply. Drinking Water The rainwater that you collect could also be used for drinking water. To be used as water to drink it must of course be sterilised and filtered. To make rainwater safe and clean a sterilisation unit must be installed and also 25 and 5 micron filter systems. There are lots of advantages to collecting rainwater for use in the home and back garden. One of the greatest is of course the fact that it can lessen your domestic water bill substantially. Even a simple water butt can save you a lot of money over its life time. In addition to monetary advantages there are of course several environmental benefits.