Water Saving Information

Water usage in new homes is under Government scrutiny as never before.

In December 2006, Communities and Local Government (CLG) and Defra published a joint consultation document setting out proposals to regulate for minimum standards of water efficiency in new buildings.

The main proposals were to introduce a whole building performance standard for new homes, through the Building Regulations, for water consumption of between 120 and 135 litres per head per day, and equivalent standards for domestic water use in the workplace. An alternative was offered as component based standards for key fittings such as taps, toilets and showers.

This document was designed to underpin those set out in the Code for Sustainable Homes

Code for Sustainable Homes

On 13 December 2006 the Code for Sustainable Homes - the new national standard for the design and construction of sustainable new homes was launched.

It was introduced to improve the overall sustainability of new homes by setting a single national standard within which the home building industry can design and construct homes to higher environmental standards and offers a tool for developers to differentiate themselves within the market in sustainability terms.

The Code also gives new homebuyers better information about the environmental impact of their new home and its potential running costs.

On 23 July 2007 Communities and Local Government published a consultation document on proposals to make rating against the Code for Sustainable Homes mandatory.

On 16 November 2007 the Department published a summary of responses to this consultation.  The principle message is that as a result of consultation, the Government confirmed it would be proceeding with the implementation of mandatory rating against the Code for all new homes.

On the 27 February 2008 the Government confirmed a mandatory rating against the Code will be implemented for new homes from 1 May 2008.

The Code measures the sustainability of a new home against categories of sustainable design, rating the ‘whole home’ as a complete package. The Code uses a 1 to 6 star rating system to communicate the overall sustainability performance of a new home. The Code sets minimum standards for energy and water use at each level and, within England, replaces the EcoHomes scheme, developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).

The latest guidance manual, published on 27 February 2008, sets out the current assessment process and the performance standards required for the Code.

The latest technical guidance manual, which supports the above publication was published in October 2008 and sets out the requirements for the Code, and the process for achieving a Code assessment. It aims to make gaining a Code assessment as simple, transparent and rigorous as possible.

Both manuals are available from www.planningportal.gov.uk

The technical guide comes into effect on the 3 November 2008, therefore homes registered on or after this date the October 2008 guide will apply. The April 2008 version will only apply to homes registered before this date.

More information on water efficiency in new buidlings is available from the Defra website.

All this means that developers wishing to maintain a competitive edge must look to reduce the water output of appliances like showers.

Triton can help ensure you comply with the new guidelines with our new range of mixer and electric water saving showers.