When we first launched our communal system back in 2022, lots of our valued followers asked us if we could keep them updated on the legislative progress around this vital approach to water reuse.
At the time, the concept of large communal reuse schemes was relatively unheard of in the industry. Since then, we have come along way. Whilst the regulatory environment may still be limiting (for now), there has been a lot of traction, reports and general discussion into the prospect of implementing communal schemes at scale.
In this month’s expert article, we are going to be looking at all of the key progress milestones which have happened since the launch of this solution.
First things first, what is a communal rainwater harvesting system
Well, it’s exactly what it says on the tin! A single, centralised system which harvests rainwater from the roof of each home and filters it for safe re-distribution to each property as a non-potable water supply.
We believe that communal rainwater reuse is the future of reuse for residential properties. Our over two decades of experience told us that the communal approach was better for maintenance, more cost-effective to install and ensures water savings are made for the long term when compared to per-plot alternatives.
So, what are the latest reports…
Enabling Water Smart Communities – Business Case
The Ofwat Innovation Funded project recently produced a business case for water reuse in new homes. This research was designed to investigate the additional costs of both pipework and treatment infrastructure on a per property basis. As well as considering a range of sizes of development, the report also compared the costs of communal systems and per-plot treatment systems.
The final determination was clear – communal rainwater harvesting “appears to be more cost-effective than on-plot rainwater harvesting at all development scales”. Evidence highlighted that the average cost of a communal system on a per property basis was found to be £2,000; whereas the equivalent costs for individual plot systems were £4,000.
Future Homes Hub – Water Ready
In 2024, the Future Homes Hub released their “Water Ready Report” which was aimed at providing a roadmap for the UK Government to improve water sustainability in new homes.
The report found that there was cross-industry consensus for implementing communal style systems over individual plot systems. This was due to cost-effectiveness and the higher likelihood that effective aftercare would be carried out by removing the responsibility of maintenance away from the homeowner.
As well as offering a perspective on the style of system, the report also set out a national roadmap for water efficiency ratings in new homes. The water efficiency roadmap stated that new homes would need to be specified to 90 LPPPD usage by as early as 2035, identifying the clear need for water reuse.
UK Water Reuse Association – Water Reuse Ready
The UKWRA recently launched their latest briefing note which highlighted the need for widescale implementation of water reuse in new homes and offered an overview of the current regulatory environment.
The report suggested that if every new property built between 2026-2050 included water reuse, we could save one billion litres daily of water. That’s 20.5% of the expected national deficit.
The report called for mandatory water reuse in all new buildings from 2030 in order to better manage demand for drinking water supplies.
Next steps
So, what have we got to look forward to? We expect the UK Government to soon announce a consultation on changes to Part G of the Building Regulations 2010 to make them much more ambitious for water efficiency.
Water reuse will be essential to meeting these new ambitions. At the moment, we are encouraging all large housing developers to explore communal schemes with us through CPDs and early discussion meetings so they are prepared for when greater water efficiency is required.
