Simple water-saving measures could save families in new homes
over £100 a year on bills, while supporting a wave of new housing
across Britain – delivering on the Plan for Change.
The government's new efficiency rules will tackle water shortage
bottlenecks and unblock stalled developments in areas of water
scarcity helping to deliver the pledge of building 1.5million
homes by 2030.
A
consultation launched today will propose small
changes to Building Regulations that could see new homes fitted
with water-saving features such as aerated taps and showerheads,
and dual flush toilets.
The change to the design standard will make new build housing
more water efficient, equivalent to 20 litres per person per day.
Analysis has shown this could save £111 a year on energy and
water bills in new homes.
The small measures will also help the environment by reducing the
amount that needs to be taken from rivers, lakes, and delicate
chalk streams for public supply.
Environment Secretary, , said:
We are getting Britain building faster, and a key element to
growth is smarter water consumption.
Removing the water shortage barriers that have stalled
development for too long will mean unlocking thousands of new
homes while saving families money.
Not only will this make customer bills cheaper; it will protect
the environment and unlock thousands of new homes as part of our
Plan for Change.
The 12-week consultation looks to amend the current Building
Regulations 2010 Part G2, which are insufficient to meet the
parallel challenges of housing delivery and water conservation.
A reduction of 20 litres per person per day could see an
additional 1,000 new homes unlocked for every 5,250 homes built.
This is particularly helpful in areas like Cambridge and north
Sussex where planning has previously been blocked because water
demand outstripped supply.
The measures will support the government's commitment to reduce
water usage in England by 20% per person per day by 2038. It
also puts us on track to use just 110 litres per head of the
population by 2050.
Future innovations, such as using harvested rainwater to flush
home toilets, are also being considered in a call to evidence
that is running alongside the consultation.
England has seen seven consecutive months of below-average
rainfall, with five areas in drought and more expected to follow
soon despite the recent rain. Climate change and increased
water demand means the nation needs to become more efficient with
the water it has.
Defra has worked closely with the Ministry for Housing,
Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to develop the
consultation and ensure it supports housebuilding goals.
Dr. Tom Dollard, Chair, Good Homes Alliance welcomed the
consultation saying:
Our membership is facing real challenges in delivering new homes
due to a lack of water capacity in their areas.
If we are to meet the Government housing delivery targets and
unlock economic growth then we must start building more ‘water
smart' homes and neighbourhoods.
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.
We encourage all stakeholders from across industry to respond to
this important consultation.”
Ed Lockhart, CEO of Future Homes Hub:
Water shortages are already constraining housing growth and the
water supply shortfall at national and regional levels will widen
without concerted action.
To sustain delivery of new homes at the levels required for
everyone to have a decent home, homes need to become
progressively more water efficient, alongside largescale
investment in water infrastructure and demand management in other
sectors.
That is why the Future Homes Hub proposed a water efficiency
roadmap for the new homes sector in the 2024 Water Ready report.
We therefore welcome the Government consulting on proposed
efficiency measures and look forward to working with the
Government to ensure water efficiency can be implemented
affordably at scale whilst delivering on customer
expectations.”
