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RainCycle is a powerful spreadsheet-based rainwater harvesting simulation program. Its key features include:
Screenshots (click images to enlarge)
Who might be interested in RainCycle?
Anyone who is involved in projects that include rainwater harvesting or is considering a domestic rainwater system of their own would benefit from being able to conduct a thorough analysis of the proposed system. Typical examples of end-users could include, but are not limited to:
Does RainCycle only model rainwater harvesting systems intended for new buildings?
No. The application can model systems intended for both new and existing buildings and virtually any building type can be modelled e.g. houses, offices, schools, factories, commercial premises etc.One of the main issues with fitting a system to an existing building (known as retro-fitting) is that the installation costs are generally more expensive than would be the case with a new development. However, RainCycle is capable of taking this into account when analysing whole-life costs.Further, RainCycle is not limited to only analysing rainwater systems installed in buildings. So long as a rainwater system does not include any unusual and important site-specific features then it could potentially be modelled using RainCycle. Examples of other uses could include: agricultural and small-scale irrigation (e.g. garden centre, golf course) and vehicle washing facilities (such as cars, trucks and even trains)
Are there any similar commercially available products on the market?
No. There are a small number of software packages available that can do some of the things that RainCycle can do, such as calculating the optimum tank size from a water availability perspective, but RainCycle is unique in that it integrates all the key elements of a rainwater harvesting system into a single package and allows an analysis to be conducted on all of them simultaneously. The ability to model in detail both the hydraulic and financial performance of a system is, at the time of writing, unique to RainCycle.When you factor in RainCycle's ability to model literally hundreds of variations for any given system, take into account long-term maintenance requirements and associated costs as well as conduct a detailed sensitivity analysis of the results, it becomes clear that RainCycle is a one-of-a-kind product.
So how has rainwater harvesting system performance been assessed in the past?
Typically system performance has been estimated using 'rule-of-thumb' techniques, such as sizing the storage tank to be able to hold 5% of the estimated yearly runoff volume. Other similar methods are also available but they generally focus on the size of tank required to meet a certain percentage of water demand and the data used is often limited and not site-specific. Longer-term financial considerations (costs other than the initial to-build cost) are more often than not neglected altogether even though the can form a significant portion of the total life-time expenditure. RainCycle explicitly takes into account all of these factors when assessing a system.
System Requirements
- IBM Compatible PC
- 64Mb RAM
- 12Mb hard disk space
- VGA monitor and graphics card
- Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP
- Excel 2000 or above
