Can Rain Barrels Save You Money on Water Bills?

[esavvymom]

At least for those of us in a city/suburbia and are on "city water" lines, using rain barrels to collect rainwater for use in your gardens can be a big money saver on the water bill.We have several raised beds in our yard that are used for herbs, veggies, etc. When we have hot summers with minimal rain, instead of using water from the city-tap or our irrigation line (which- we have a special faucet off of our 2nd irrigation meter that allows us to only be charged the water used, versus also getting socked with Sewage costs- since it's an irrigation meter, they assume the water is going into the ground, not the sewer). Anyway, I use the rain barrel water. Depending on what I'm water, I can either scoop out the water with a bucket, or we have a small electric pump we use to give more pressure to pump the water out.We have SIX 65-gallon rain barrels off of our small 10x10 storage shed. One or two good rain storms can FILL them ALL!! (they are hooked up to overflow from one to the other). We started doing this several years ago when we had a severe drought in our area. We weren't allowed to use city water for lawns/gardens more than 2 hours a week or so. The city was selling the barrels pretty inexpensively. Check with your city, or go on a site like Craigslist. You can also google how to make your own. (Lots of stuff telling you different ways).If we are successful at relocating to the country, we'll continue to use the barrels to save water. I know from previous droughts, well-water is just as vulnerable!

 

[Admin Greg]

(The aquifer can get so low it starts to effect the well pump).It's a great way to save money, and protect our water resources too!

 

[Admin Greg]

That's a great idea! I've been wanting to try using rain barrels for my garden, but I live in an apartment so I don't have the space for them. But it's good to know that they can save a lot of money on water bills, especially during dry summers. Do you have any tips for setting up the barrels and keeping them maintained? I've heard that they can get pretty dirty and need to be cleaned out regularly. But it seems like a small price to pay for free water for your garden. Thanks for sharing your experience with using rain barrels!