Visit the Tankulator: ATA’S online rainwater calculator website

With the price of water expected to increase by more than 50 per cent in the next four years and climate change creating uncertain rainfall patterns, rainwater tanks are a necessity for most Australian homes.

The Tankulator is a free interactive online calculator that helps people plan for a new rainwater tank or improve the performance of existing tanks.

It calculates how much rainwater can be harvested from a roof anywhere in Australia over one, three or five years based on rainfall figures from the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station, the roof type and size, and flushing and overflow capabilities.

The Tankulator has been developed by the Alternative Technology Association (ATA), a not-for-profit organisation promoting water saving and household renewable energy, with support from the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund, managed by Sustainability Victoria, and the City of Whitehorse.

Ian Porter, the ATA’s chief executive, said the innovative new tool would help people save money on water bills.

“While government rebates and environmental concern has meant a rapid growth in the number of rainwater tanks in recent years, there are still thousands of homes across Australia without them,” Mr Porter said.

“The Tankulator gives people an in-depth understanding of how much water they will harvest and the choices they need to make to get the most out of their tanks.”

The Tankulator’s interactive page gives a summary of water usage, the amount of days the household tank is empty or overflowing and presents suggestions to the user. There is a tank level graph and another graph displaying available rainwater against selected uses.

The website includes pages on material types, tank positioning, filtering and other information to help people choose and plan for rainwater tanks.

Website: tankulator.ata.org.au