Case Studies
Benefits to Homeowners and Small Businesses
Ecovie Rainwater Collection Systems provide tangible benefits to homeowners, small businesses and the environment.
Case Study 1 – New Construction – 20,000 square foot office complex.
A developer for a new mixed use building in DeKalb County, Georgia wants to incorporate green infrastructure into the development. He wants to use rainwater collection to help achieve at least LEED Silver rating along with accruing the benefits of rainwater collection. This proposed mixed use office site will provide working space for 150 workers and will also have some retail space and a restaurant. Water will be collected from 12,000 square feet of roof top plus 8,000 square feet of parking structure. In addition, air conditioning condensate will be captured.
The system consists of a 20,000 gallon fiberglass buried cistern. Standard ECOVIE rainwater filtration will be used before the tank with a code complying treatment system for indoor water use. There will be an automatic system to switch to city water when the tanks are empty.
Water will be used for toilet flushing and outdoor grounds watering. Average indoor water usage is projected to average 500 gallons per day with extensive outdoor usage at 2,000 gallons per day from March through October.
Our usage analysis shows that water savings in a typical rainfall year such as 2005 or 2010 will be 286,000 gallons from rainwater collection and an additional 20,000 gallons from condensate capture May through September. Total municipal water usage reduction is projected to be around 300,000 gallons for a savings of over $11,000 per year.
Case Study 2 - 432,000 Square Foot Distribution Center
A multi-national company has a large distribution center in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The engineering director wants to collect rainwater from the expansive roof to irrigate the facility's landscaping which is currently using around 250,000 gallons per month in the summer. His objectives are to reduce water bills and to support the company's sustainability objectives. The system design will collect from 80,000 square feet of the roof top with an option to expand in the future. In addition, condensate from air conditioning equipment will deliver an estimated 60,000 gallons per month of extra water.
The system consists of a 78,000 gallon CorGal above ground tank located near the loading dock area. Seven separate self cleaning Graf Optimax Industrial filters screen debris from collected rainwater before storage. A 5 HP pump supplies water to the irrigation with an automatic municipal water back up for occasions when the tank is empty.
The system provides 1.7 million gallons of water per year which represents 75% of water needs. In addition, upgrades to the irrigation system using moisture sensor technology provides and additional 500,000 gallons water savings per year.
The project provides and immediate water bill reduction while meeting sustainability goals. As water rates continue to rise and with increasing scrutiny of use of municipal water for landscape irrigation, the facility's landscape is protected from any future watering bans or other restrictions.