Mains water connection

Potable water supplied by the public network, arriving already pressurised and already treated to drinking standard. Needs no on-site energy, storage or treatment, and no pump: the pressure is produced by the utility, which is why a mains-fed fixture keeps working during a power cut. The trade-off is total dependence on that network staying up and on continued ability to pay for it, the single most exposed option here under the disruption assumption, and the reason every other entry in this sub-function exists.

Cost

Medium

Upkeep

None

Skill to build

Specialist

Lifespan

Connection and buried service pipe: 50+ years, effectively the life of the network rather than of anything you own; the meter is replaced by the utility on its own cycle

Embodied carbon

Low

Space / material use

Low

Output timing

On-demand/controllable

Skill to repair

Specialist

Regulation (FR example)

Connection is requested from the local water utility and is generally compulsory where a main passes the property in a served zone. Billing includes a sanitation charge where the property is also on the public sewer.

Note: Cost, carbon and footprint are rated against the other options for this same need, not in absolute terms.

What your site needs

A public water main reaching the property, and a connection permitted by the utility

Inputs

none

Outputs

• Potable Water

Sources

• French public water service connection practice (mains supply, metering and billing)

What this page does not tell you

No sizing or quantities: how much a technique yields, and how much a household needs, both depend on the build and the people, so the catalogue compares options rather than dimensioning them. It carries no bill of materials and no build sequence, and it is written for an oceanic, clay-soil climate (Normandy, France). Regulatory notes are indicative and need confirming locally.