Case studies

Social and affordable homes in Ardee reap the benefit of rainwater

In 2009 Louth County Council embarked on the second phase of Cappock’s Gate, a social and affordable housing scheme close to Ardee town centre.

Council housing official Paul Kelly says they wanted to make the homes more sustainable. “All the research shows that home owners use an average of 150 litres per person of water per day, of which 10 litres per person are for consumption. It makes sense to use water harvested from rain for non-consumption uses like washing machines and outdoor use.”

“The most intensive water activity in any home is the shower and the toilet, and there is absolutely no need to use mains water for toilet flushing,” adds Kelly.

Phase 2 of Cappock’s Gate consists of 23 social and 8 affordable homes. In each home they installed a Kingspan Water Envireau system, which is fully integrated with the plumbing and provides rainwater for use in a downstairs toilet and the main bathroom.

“There is every chance that people will have to pay for water in the near future, which means there is a huge benefit from using rainwater in the home,” says Kelly.

This is the first social housing scheme in County Louth to use rainwater harvesting and Kelly says the experience has been very positive. “The technology is very sustainable, and puts much less pressure on the water system in the county. Rain water is an abundant resource for non-drinking purposes, and it makes perfect sense to use it.”

On the scheme, Louth County Council worked with main contractor Geda Construction.

“We have extensive experience on delivering environmental building projects. This was the first time that we worked with rainwater harvesting,” said Damien Murray Partner with Geda construction.

“We were very impressed with the moulded plastic tank, which is central to Kingspan Water’s Envireau System. The technology and service meant much less work on site, and the range of water tank capacities available were a great fit for a domestic house project.”

“As a result of our positive experience with rain water harvesting units in Cappock’s Gate, we are happy to work with specifers to deliver the technology in other developments,” says Murray.

Kelly says that installing rainwater in Cappock’s Gate has been a worthwhile exercise for Louth County Council. “Any technology that reduces the impact of building on the environment is worth investigating. Rainwater harvesting puts much less press on water, which has become an even more precious resource in recent years. It also puts the home owner at the center of the water consumption issue, no longer expecting water to magically appear for free at the twist of a tap.”

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