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GBlist: Greywater/potable rainwater



There is an interesting analogue to utility block rates that affects
savings from reduced water usage.  

At EcoVillage at Ithaca, where I live, we are set up for grey water
recovery.  We coughed up the extra dollars necessary to put in a separate
plumbing drain line for our greywater fixtures.  But the local municipal
water system charges us a fixed amount per household hookup or a per gallon
charge, which ever is higher.  Our usage is way below the break even point
for per gallon pricing, so we pay the fixed fee.  Low flow toilets,
showers, faucets and low water use landscaping are putting us way below the
typical usage.  (I don't have the numbers, but someone here does.) 

We decided not to go offline sewer, for now, when we realized that it might
take an extra year or two to put the project through the town and we might
not be successful in the end.  We choose our battles.  (The town water
engineer is dead set on extending the sewer line, and the town is scared
that a developer, in this case the residents,  will do something exotic and
then fall apart financially, leaving the town to clean up the mess.)  But
we didn't realize that we would still pay despite our lower consumption. 
(We are very close to town to keep our transportation costs/energy low, but
we pay for that in the cost of land and town approvals.)

I guess the fixed cost of putting in the sewer and the processing plant is
the largest part of our bill, but this seems like a postive feedback cycle.
 Sounds like a demand side mangement problem of old.  What happens when
they deregulate the sewers?

BTW, I think that deregulation will dramatically increase the number of new
homes going up without connection to the utility.  When people realize that
for a low energy house the biggest part of the bill is the fixed charge,
they will think harder about cogen, solar and fuel cells.

Meanwhile, consumer interest in energy efficiency will take a dive, when
variable unit prices drop and fixed prices increase to reflect true costs! 
Lucky we have people like Fred, who are figuring out how to sell this stuff
based on things consumers care about, like comfort, durability and health
and safety.

Greg Thomas
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