We are reviewing our rainwater tank rebate program http://www.thinkwater.act.gov.au/incentives.shtml#rainwater_rebate and are interested in any recently published papers/reports which address the following: 1. describe the elasticity of demand for internally connected rainwater tanks in urban settings (ie tank plumbed into the home for internal uses such as toilet flushing and clothes washing); 2. describe the relationship between the take-up rate of a rebate program and the amount of the rebate 3. an analysis of the effectiveness of rainwater tanks in reducing mains (potable) water use in an urban setting Our rebate program makes an internal plumbing connection a mandatory conditions to be eligible for our rebate. I would be interested in knowing if there are other schemes which also do this.
Karen Civil
Communications Project Officer
Water Strategy Implementation
Office of Sustainability Chief Minister's Department
GPO Box 158 Canberra City ACT 2601 Australia
Tel: 6207 2170 Fax: 6207 6255
Email: [email protected]
www.thinkwater.act.gov.au
Looking for Research on Rainwater Tank Rebate Programs
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One of the issues surrounding rebate programmes is that the price often gravitates back towards the pre-rebate price. Suppliers and installers are usually the ones who benefit the most although, in some cases, the rebate means the difference between making a reasonable profit or working for (close to) subsistence wages. This encourages more suppliers to enter enter the market and the larger turnover potentially pushes the technology into the next lower cost tier. When this happens the market has a better chance of becoming self sustaining. It should be noted however, that this can often take years. For example, in Victoria when the $150 rebate for water tanks was introduced, it was conditional on installation by a qualified plumber. The fee from most plumbers for installing the tank was, not surprisingly, $150. Where there was no legal requirement for a plumber to install the tank (eg freestanding to water the garden etc.) the rebate provided little incentive. Another example is the Australian Federal Government's solar rebate program which, as the rebate has been introduced and varied over the last few years, has caused the price of an average grid connect system to fluctuate short term between $8,000 and $18,000 (the introduction of the GST has had an impact as well). However, the price seems to stabilise between $14,000 and $16,000 after a period of time. Plumbing a small rainwater tank to the toilet has a much bigger impact for lower cost than a large tank used for (say) gardening. For example, the typical 4 person home uses 60L water per day for toilet use or 21,900L per year. In Melbourne, a 2000L tank will provide well in excess of 80% of the water requirements or more than 17,500L per year. Obviously this will vary by region. A 4000L tank would meet most of the clothes washing requirements as well. In Victoria all new houses must have either a solar hot water service or a rainwater tank with 2000L min. capacity fed by a min. 50sq metre roof area and plumbed to the toilet as they have identified that these are the most effective options for reducing energy and/or potable water use. For exisiting houses some incentive is needed, either financial or emotional (ignoring for now the imposition of legislative requirements). Any financial incentive would need to be substantial given the low cost of water ($1 - $2 per kL) and/or be coupled to some campaign to provide the emotional component. Most people agree that managing water resources more responsibly is required but few are willing to spend a lot of money on their own to make it happen. If the intention is to maximise the amount of rainwater displacing potable water consumption I would be inclined to shift the rebate away from the larger tanks and raise the rebate on the 4000L tanks (and make it conditional on connecting both the toilet AND the washing machine outlets) and the 2000L tanks (keeping the requirement for connection to the toilet).
Cheers
MOC
Karen,
You may be aware of this already, though if not, the ATA Alternative Technology Association in Melb ran a program on greywater systems and published some good information in the ReNew magazine, generally available at newsagents. Try "http://www.ata.org.au/about?page_id=43%20"http://www.ata.org.au/about?page_ id=43 for more details including the full report.
Cheers,
Paul
GEENI http://www.geeni.net/
http://www.ecosteps.com.au/
http://www.whatissustainability.com/