Potential of rainwater utilization in residential housing in Poland

Systems for rainwater collection, storage and utilization are commonly used in many countries as sources of reduced quality water to be used in a sanitary network system of buildings and for watering, among others. In Poland, despite its potable water resources being almost the lowest in Europe, rainwater is utilized in a very limited manner. This paper presents a simulation model, as well as the results of analysis, evaluating the potential for utilizing rainwater under Polish climatic conditions, for utilizing various parameters of rainwater‐usage systems based on the precipitation data for the last decade. The economies of applying such systems in Poland are analysed, and the factors that restrict development of water catchment methods are defined.