Index:

-RainHarvesting Ireland Company Information
-Rainwater Technical Information
-Case Study
-Greywater Technical Information
-Retrofit

RainHarvesting Ireland (RHI) is a leading supplier of rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling systems here. Formed in 2005, the company is a business partner of UK based Rainharvesting Systems Ltd which has been supplying systems since 1994 and is a founder member of UKRHA (UK Rainwater Harvesting Association).

Company Information

RHI’s market leading product is backed up by a technical team that has overseen more system installations than any other in the UK and Ireland. The company is based in Coleraine, Northern Ireland but operates on a nationwide basis offering systems to suit both domestic and commercial buildings.

“You should not look at it as water running down the drain… it’s more money running down the drain”
- Johnny Coyle, Rainharvesting Ireland

“Ireland is ideally suited to the rainwater harvesting systems as we have consistent rainfall throughout the year with the only semi dry months being April and June. As a result the use of mains water back up can be reduced considerably when compared to other regions in Europe.”

Indeed, he’s bang on – under an EU directive, all commercial and domestic users of water will be charged for their consumption in the near future so it’s clear we should be acting now to conserve water use in what ever way we can. Apart from allowing major water conservation to take place, the financial costs of water is also something increasingly coming to the fore in Ireland as we play catch up with the rest of Europe with regards to charges.

“Commercial rates are rising all the time since they were introduced here in 2006 and will continue to do so”
- Johnny Coyle

“In the near future, the East coast is going to be classed as an ‘area under stress’ for the purposes of water due to the huge increase in the population. This, coupled with the fact that the UN has predicted that future wars will be fought over drinking water as opposed to oil, means that we urgently need to look at other ways of conserving and maximising our water supplies.”

“This is where the rainwater harvesting system comes in and with its suitability to our Irish climate along with the environmental and financial benefits, it is clear these systems are going to be big news here in Ireland,” says Coyle. Already, the company is one of the biggest suppliers of the system in the UK, with it’s products having an enormous presence across mainland Europe, in particular Germany. Indeed in many parts of the world it’s a prerequisite for new builds (see case study).  

Since arriving in Ireland in 2005, Coyle has seen a big boom in commercial users in particular, as it allows over heads to be reduced significantly. Added to that a recent ruling by the Department of Education indicating that funding will be available for the installation of rainwater systems and you can expect that the next few years will see a massive increase in the use of the systems.

Decentralised government departments are also incorporating them along with offices, shopping centres, schools and hotels. “Most of the top consulting engineers including are coming to us at development stage due to our experience in the UK market,” says Coyle. “By 2010 all end users will have to pay for water and houses will be metered so I predict rainwater harvesting will become mainstream and very much part of a greener future.”

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