Water Harvesting and Basix Certificates

picture of working model of rainwater harvesting

Obtaining approval for a building project requires supplying a range of supporting documents. One of those is a Basix certificate.

A Basix certificate will outline the minimum energy and water efficiency requirements needed for building approval. One of those will be installing a rainwater tank for garden use and supplying your toilet cisterns.

Described as rainwater harvesting, it is a means of satisfying building planning requirements of new homes and major renovations. But even if you are not building, you can still install a rainwater tank under exempt development, so long as it meets the planning requirements.

The photo is a working model of a scaled down water harvesting system that you might use.

So what are the benefits and why incorporate water harvesting?

While there is not a huge dollar saving, on site tank water can be a useful storage supply during bush fire season, or when mains pressure is lost.

If you have a pool, then evaporation will cause losses especially in this dry country of ours, so a rainwater tank can be useful for topping up instead of using mains water. If a pool is part of your development, then you will need to install a rainwater tank as well.

Other popular uses are watering lawns and gardens and washing vehicles etc. It can be comforting to know you have a store if and when needed.

Probably one of the greatest benefits alluded to above however, is that they reduce the demand on our catchment supply during droughts, helping conserve one of our most precious natural resources - water.

Note that during dry weather periods, tanks can run empty, which is something to consider when choosing size, location and the amount of catchment from the roof they receive. This will be something to discuss with your builder or plumber before you install a system.