Ecovie Rainwater Collection Systems

Return on Investment

So you are convinced of the environmental benefits of using collected rainwater and know it will save on your water bill.  What are all the factors that go determining your return on investment for your ECOVIE rainwater system?

To determine bottom-line returns:

• Determine water savings projections of your proposed system by applying your prior years’ water usage. This will show you exactly how the system would have performed during normal rainfall years and drought years (for Atlanta, use 2010 and 2005 for normal years and 2007 for a drought year.
• For commercial projects, the rainwater system capital cost can be depreciated to reduce taxes.
• Project future water rate increases based on known, announced rates plus inflation over the lifespan of a rainwater system. In reality, rate increases could be much higher than those that have been announced.
• Factor in requirements for storm water detention or retention for new residential or commercial construction. Since rainwater systems reduces runoff, it may be possible to reduce or eliminate the cost of these requirements, thereby reducing your net capital cost, too.
• Factor in the cost of mitigating and repairing erosion or runoff problems you currently experience. Since capturing rainwater addresses these problems, these costs will be eliminated and are a less costly solution than other options like drainage modifications.
• Include any applicable tax incentives for rainwater collection system installation — city, county, state and federal governments offer programs that encourage investment in conservation.
• Determine how different rainwater systems and water use affect ROI. Designs and pricing varies — simpler systems tend to give quicker ROI than more sophisticated systems, yet high-volume users who collect and store a lot of rainwater have a higher rate of return overall.
• Determine the value of your landscaping and include what it would cost to replace dead plants after a drought. You do not have to comply with watering bans when you use collected rainwater.
• Factor in the cost of bottled water or filters for drinking water if you are treating water for indoor use — the quality of treated rainwater surpasses that of municipal water supplies.
• Factor in rainwater system operating and maintenance costs. For outdoor usage, the maintenance cost is very low. For indoor usage, there will be a cost for periodic filtration changes that we try to design out of the system as much as possible. Pumping costs are minimal.
• Factor in the increase to your property value. A canvassing of Real Estate agents and appraisers who looked specifically at ECOVIE Rainwater Systems indicates you will recoup 50-80% of the cost of your initial investment when you sell your property — this is in addition to the other projected returns. The percentage of return could increase further depending on water supply issues at the time of sale.
• Consider how including a rainwater collection system as an incremental add to any current building, remodeling or landscaping work will lower the cost of installation and deliver positive cash flow immediately by saving you more in reduced water costs than the monthly payment for the rainwater collection system.

Intangible returns:

• Consider your impact on the collective fresh water supply in your community.
• Include the value of having your own water supply in case municipal water is not available or its quality is questionable.
• Imagine the amount of rainwater that goes uncollected from your property alone.
• Determine the value of being self sufficient and having pride in doing the right thing.

Projected Cost Savings:

When designing your system, ECOVIE will cover all these scenarios with you and do a cost savings estimate using your water consumption and anticipated water costs.  This will show you what you can look forward to in the way of return on your investment.

Your most rapid return on investment on an ECOVIE Rainwater Collection System is if you are a high volume user, can collect a lot of water, and are already doing major remodeling, landscaping, or building a new home.  In those cases, the additional incremental cost of a rainwater collection system is lower and the savings potential is higher.  In many cases, you will save more in reduced water cost than the financial payment for your system, making you cash flow positive from the first raindrop that falls into your new system!

ECOVIE will do all this analysis for you free of charge so why not give us a call?

As you can see, rainwater harvest is a good financial investment.