September 2008

Conservation of water resources is high on the agenda for builders and developers when planning and building new homes, or renovating properties.

Despite the fact that the UK seems to have plenty of rain, the growing population and changing climate mean that demand for water resources is under pressure between the environment and people.Demand for more new housing over the next few years will no doubt compound this issue further.But, reducing the demand for mains water can help to reconcile these competing needs.

It is important for both builders and merchants to know the legislation when it comes to incorporating sustainable development into building projects to reduce mains water consumption.Merchants need to know which products to recommend to builders so they can achieve high performance ratings against the Code.Likewise, builders and developers need to consider the positive impact that high scoring properties have on potential purchasers, particularly in important categories, such as water efficiency.

Those builders and developers not yet achieving high standards for new private sector housing are not going against the code.However, assessment is mandatory and if the

Code entry level is not achieved, a poor nil-rated certificate is issued.This is likely to put off potential buyers, particularly considering the current economic climate and the recent reports indicating an increase in water bills in the next few months.

Installing a below ground rainwater harvesting system, such as the WPL RainRetain, is more straight forward than you may think.When considering drainage, a rainwater harvesting system can easily be incorporated when ground works are being carried out.A system like this collects rainwater, usually via the roof and guttering, and then filters and stores it in a tank until required.The tank size usually depends on what the recycled rainwater will be used for, e.g. toilet flushing, clothes washing, car washing, general cleaning and garden irrigation, all of which would normally use drinking quality mains water.

Be aware that some systems available on the market actually top up the tank from the mains, which can significantly reduce the potential savings to be made on mains water consumption. The RainRetain system however, uses a control unit to automatically draw water from the mains in the unlikely event that the tank is empty.The mains water is drawn on demand, and never stored in the rainwater harvesting tank.

Up to 50% of the typical mains water consumption used in the home can be safely replaced by using recycled rainwater.This can, according to The Code for Sustainable Homes, achieve a 6 star rating (the best) in the water efficiency category, by reducing the mains water consumption to less than 80 litres per person per day.

Although mandatory, minimum standards for private sector housing do not come into effect until 2010, the code allows home builders and developers to be recognised for achieving high standards already. Developers involved with new public sector housing developments will already be aware it is mandatory to achieve a minimum code level 3 overall for any new build home.

RainRetain also reduces surface water run-off and reduces heavy demand on drains to take away storm water.Also, as the rainwater is collected via the roof and guttering, it is unlikely to be polluted by contaminates such as oil, which can occur with surface water run-off.

The Environment Agency recognises the contribution rainwater harvesting can make to Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), particularly in high flood risk areas.

These areas may also be prone to a high water table, which can cause difficulty when installing a below ground rainwater tank.Not a problem when using the WPL Rondus from the RainRetain range.It is more stable due to its donut shape tank, and has an optional anti-buoyancy measure for groundwater installations.WPL recognises the need to offer customers solutions for a wide variety of installations, and can also design bespoke rainwater harvesting solutions.

For more information regarding products and services, contact Becky Belton on (023) 9224 2622 or becky.belton@wpl.co.uk