Jacksonville FL B & B Installs Rainwater Capture System
Earlier this summer, The Jenks House Bed & Breakfast owners installed a rainwater capture system, so now they don’t have to look to the city’s water supply when the ground gets dry.
The B&B, a two-guestroom accommodation, is owned by Tom and Ila Rae Merten. The system guides water from the garage apartment roof into four 275 gallon storage tanks. 193 gallons of captured water result when they receive one inch of rainfall, and with Jacksonville averaging 52 inches per year, they expect that the system will collect 10,000 gallons or more of rainwater per year, which will be used for the B&B’s lawn and organic garden.
The owners installed the rainwater capture system themselves, which reportedly cost about $650. Although it will likely take about three or more years to recoup the investment they made, Tom says that if they had hired someone to install it the payback time would have been longer. He estimates that this project will effectively save them about 2,000 gallons of water per month.
The Mertens have taken several other steps to make the B&B more environmentally friendly, including changing most of the interior lighting to compact fluorescents, and drying linens on a clothesline instead of using a clothes dryer. They use environmentally safe cleaners, and purchase goods in bulk when possible. They also grow their own vegetables and fruits, and compost all scraps.
The Jenks House Bed & Breakfast is only the second B&B in the state to receive the honor of being designated as a Florida Green Lodging property.
