Technical and Economic Analysis of Rainwater Harvesting in University Buildings

Water is becoming more valuable every day in today's world, where the effects of the growing global population and global warming are increasing, and existing water resources continue to deplete. The inadequacies in water resources are causing problems for the environment and all living beings. Therefore, protecting existing water resources or creating alternative sources has become necessary. Rainwater harvesting is effective method for generating an alternative water source. In this study, the monthly and annual water storage potentials of the buildings in Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Agriculture were determined by using the rainwater harvesting method, and the rates of meeting the need were calculated in two different scenarios, namely irrigation of the lawn area in the faculty and meeting the amount of water needed in the buildings, and the aim was to determine the amount of economic gain to be obtained. As a result of the study, it was determined that the rainwater harvesting method has an annual water collection potential of 2045.16 m3. With the installation of the system, it was concluded that an annual economic gain of 76858 TL was achieved in the faculty and that the initial investment costs of the system were amortized over 15.4 years.