Defra consults on more water efficient Building Regs

Defra is consulting until 16 December on amending Part G2 of the Building Regulations 2010 to drive more water efficiency in new homes.

The long-awaited consultation considers: 

• Revising the Water Efficiency Standard required of new homes from 125 litres per person per day to 105 litres per person per day. This would mean new homes must be fitted with water saving features such as tap aerators and low flush loos. 

• Reducing the optional Technical Standard from 110 litres per person per day to 100 litres per person per day.

• There is a parallel call for evidence on enabling water reuse systems in new developments, for instance, using harvested rainwater to flush toilets. 

Defra said saving 20 litres per person per day on the main standard would yield multiple benefits, including unlocking housebuilding (1,000 new homes for every 5,250 built – “this is particularly helpful in areas like Cambridge and north Sussex where planning has previously been blocked because water demand outstripped supply”); supporting abstraction reductions; and saving households up to £111 a year on energy and water bills. It added the measures would support the Government’s commitment to reduce water usage in England by 20% per person per day by 2038 and put the country on track to use 110 litres per head of the population by 2050.

Dr Tom Dollard, chair of the Good Homes Alliance, said: “We would like to see a refreshed Part G that is aligned to the water neutrality hierarchy, and a fittings-based approach combined with a water labelling scheme that would deliver water efficient homes at scale across the UK.”

Water sector stakeholders generally welcome the long-awaited progress on revising the Building Regs, but have commented that the new standards are unambitious and could be outpaced in high growth areas by both need and practice on the ground.