We’re inviting 75 homes in Wrea Green to take part in a FREE trial of our SMART water butts. This is all part of our work to reduce the risk of flooding, making the North West all that more resilient.
Our systems can often be overwhelmed in heavy rainfall. We want to reduce the amount of rainwater entering the drainage network. Together, we could stop up to 17,000 litres of excess water at a time from entering the drainage network.
With whole communities working together, we could stop up to 17,000 litres of excess water at a time from entering the drainage network. If this trial is successful, we’ll run more trials with a view to installing these SMART water butts right across the North-West. Taking part in trials like this helps us make the North-West greener, healthier and stronger too.
Smart Water Butts are new – so we’ve prepared the answers to some questions you may have.
The SMART water butt collects rainwater, transmits information to confirm how much is available, and is then emptied on demand into the drainage network at an optimum time.
SMART water butts help prevent the drainage network from being overwhelmed. 75 butts can collect 17,025 litres of water, freeing up that capacity from the drainage network.
We’ll keep you up to date with progress of the pilot on our website: www.uuhub.co.uk/wreagreen
12 months.
The SMART water butt measures 58cm wide, is 99cm tall, and is a 227l green recycled plastic barrel.
No, all SMART water butts are issued in a standard format.
If your property meets our criteria then we may install more than one SMART water butt.
No. The SMART water butts only transmit information about the water they’ve collected, they can’t connect to any other devices.
We’ll be collecting information about the amount of water that is captured in each water butt.
We won’t be sharing the data directly with homeowners.
The SMART water butts work the same way as traditional water butts. However, if excessive rain is forecasted then we can direct them to empty their contents sooner.
Homeowners taking part in the pilot will have access to a dedicated helpline.
Once the SMART water butt has been installed, we’ll need to leave it there for the whole trial. It can be removed afterwards if you decide you no longer want it.
If you’re moving after the trial ends, you’re welcome to take the water butt with you or leave it for the new owner. We won’t install SMART water butts on properties that are currently for sale.
You won’t have any liability for the theft.
United Utilities will retain ownership of the SMART water butt until the end of the pilot, when it will become the property of the person who signed up to the trial.
If your questions aren’t answered here, there’s a team that can help. Send an email to myview@uuplc.co.uk, marked ‘Water Smart Streets’. We’ll respond as quickly as we can.