Government proposes minimum water efficiency for new homes and buildings

Building regulations may require construction firms to build to water efficiency performance standards akin to a car's miles per gallon rating, after the government set out a series of proposals to reduce water usage in new homes and commercial buildings.

The proposals, contained in the consultation document Mandating Water Efficiency in New Buildings, would see the government regulating in orer to secure a 'designing in' of water efficiency in new buildings.

The document put forward three proposals for new homes: do nothing, a component-based approach that set out minimum efficiency standards for individual appliances like toilets and showers, and a whole building performance standard approach of between 120 and 135 litres maximum consumption per head per day.

The government indicated that it was "minded to adopt" the whole building performance standard, to allow building designers and specifiers the flexibility to install high consumption units, such as a powerful shower, at the price of low consumption units elsewhere in the building.

The regulations would apply to normal fixed equipment such as baths, toilets, showers, pipe runs, taps and urinals. It would exclude washing machines and dishwashers, which are already subject to efficiency standards.

The document made similar proposals for commercial buildings, looking at either a whole building peformance standard of 20 litres per full-time employee, or a component-based standard for fittings.

Minister for Climate Change and the Environment Ian Pearson said: "Setting minimum standards for new buildings will not deliver all the savings we need to make, but will provide a strong signal to consumers and to manufacturers of water appliances, fixtures and fittings that they have a role as part of that joined up action, and that we all have a responsibility to find ways of using water wisely."

The government said it would welcome the views of manufacturers, the supply chain and other stakeholders following the document's publication. The consultation period runs until 9 March 2007.