Section 3: Housing and Sustainability

Table of Figures
Figure 3-1 Water consumption for levels of the code................................................................3
Figure 3-2 Typical household water usage................................................................................4
Figure 3-3 Space requirement for daily output..........................................................................9

Contents
Table of Figures........................................................................................................................1
Contents....................................................................................................................................1
3.0 Category 2: Water - Wat 1 Indoor water use (Mandatory)...................................................2

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3.0 Category 2: Water - Wat 1 Indoor water use

(Mandatory)
In the water category there are two issues, wat 1 indoor water use that will be covered in
detail and wat 2 external water use.

3.1 Introduction
The internal water use is a mandatory element for every level; the limit of potable water use
depends on the level to be achieved. For level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes the
potable water consumption must be less than 105 l/p/day. The awarding of credits is based
on the predicted average potable water consumption, which can vary depending on lifestyle
and the number of occupants per dwelling. For the level 4 requirement of less than 105 litres
per person per day 3 credits are available.

Figure 3-1 Water consumption for levels of the code1

The average water consumption can vary dramatically from 120 to 250 litres per person per
day as it depends on personal behaviour and the number of occupants per house. Therefore
taking an overall average of 150 litres per person per day2 the potable water consumption will
need to be reduced by up to 45 litres per person per day to achieve the level 4 rating.

Code for Sustainable Homes

http://www.green-office.org.uk/audit.php?goingto=factsheet5

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Installing low water flow fittings and water efficient appliances can reduce water usage,
however this would not be sufficient to reduce the potable water usage to below 105 litres per
person per day therefore additional measures will be required.

0.3 Potable and non-potable water

Of the total water used in a household 50% of the water usage does not require potable water,
activates such as toilet flushing, clothes washing and garden use. Potable water is only
required for bodycare, dishwashing, drinking and cooking3.

Figure 3-2 Typical household water usage4

A solution is needed so potable water is not used for the activities that do not require high
quality water. WC flushing, washing machine and garden water needs can be provided by
rainwater harvesting or recycled greywater with minimal treatment. The installation of
greywater recycling and water harvesting systems to provide up to 50% of household water
demands will prove beneficial in the long-term.

www.freewateruk.co.uk

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0.4 Rainwater harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is the collection of rainwater and reuse as an alternative to mains water
for non-potable use. It can be used for toilet flushing, in washing machines and garden use,
which accounts for 50% of domestic potable water use5. It is becoming more popular as it is
sustainable and an environmental approach to reduce potable water use.
Northern Ireland has a good climate for rainwater harvesting with an evenly spread rainfall
pattern. It would be expected that rainwater harvesting would increase when water charges
are introduced. Rainwater by its nature is soft thereby reducing lime scale build up in pipes
and appliances. The system can aid planning applications in some areas where there is a
short fall in supply6.

Labelling or colour coding of pipes is required to avoid any

contamination between potable water and recycled or greywater.

The collection pipes on the roof will direct the rainwater to a storage tank. Leaves and debris
will be filtered out; runoff from driveways will not be used as it would need advanced
treatment to remove oil and contaminates. The roof and guttering will be maintained and
kept clean of debris and guttering covers can be put in place if there are any trees close by to
stop dirt and leaves gathering.
The tank size will depend on the rainfall data, roof area and demand. There should be
procedure to allow the tank to be emptied and stopped from refilling in the event of
contamination or for maintenance purposes.

Each manufacturers system has slightly different variations. Water entering the tank should
be discharged below the minimum water level to calm the water and to prevent turbulence
that occurs with open discharge. Water should be extracted from just below the water surface
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Housing & Sustainability

to avoid debris and any sediment there may be at the bottom of the tank. This is carried out
using a floating suction filter, which maintains it position relative to the water level and a
submersible pump is used to pump water as needed to appliances7.

0.5 Greywater recycling

Greywater recycling is the reuse of shower, bath and wash hand basin water for toilet
flushing. It is more reliable then rainwater harvesting because when the building is occupied
greywater will be produced and can be reused, whereas rainwater may not be sufficient
during the summer months.

0.6 Advantages

of

rainwater

harvesting

and

greywater

recycling

Can reduce potable water usage by 50%

Reduce surface runoff

Reduces wastewater costs

Soft rainwater reduces lime scale

Rainwater is good for garden use

Low maintenance

Low visual impact

Reduce water bills (if introduced)

Bord na Mona www.bnm.ie

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Increase property value8

0.7 Development
For each of the developments additional measures will be put in place to reduce the water
consumption. Low flow taps will be installed for the wash hand basins and kitchen sinks as
they contribute a large percentage of potable water use. Low flow showers of 8 litres per
minute will be installed and a standard size bath that is cleverly shaped will reduce the
capacity to 140 litres9. The cistern capacity will be reduced from the standard 8 litres to a 6/4
litre dual flush. The reduction in the cistern capacity will not contribute to potable water
reduction as recycled greywater will be used and it exceeds demand. However it will reduce
the volume of greywater that will be treated. The recycled greywater will be used for toilet
flushing and the rainwater will be used for washing machines and garden use.

0.7.1 Rainwater harvesting for the development

Rainwater harvesting has an added benefit in that it reduces the amount of potable water used
as well as reducing runoff from roofs during heavy rainfall events, therefore acting in part as
a sustainable urban drainage system. When the rainwater storage tanks fill to capacity during
heavy rainfall events the water will overflow into the storm water system.
The filter for the system will maintained regularly and a visual check of the tank and the
components carried out annually. The level gauge, flow controller and water mains top up
control will be fitted within the building 10. The volume of the tanks to be installed has been
carefully calculated so as to maximize the potential of the system, not to have stagnated
water in the system and also to allow the tank to overflow at least twice per year at regular
intervals. This is to allow any floating debris to be removed by the overflow devices. The
8

www.envirocare.ie

Green Works website http://www.greenworks-energy.co.uk/water-conserving-bath.php

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Bord na Mona website www.bnm.ie

Housing & Sustainability

water main is connected to the storage tank to act as a back-up supply. The storage tank has
a sensor to monitor the water level, when the level is low the water main automatically cuts
in to top up the tank, ensuring a water supply is maintained automatically11.

0.7.2 Greywater recycling for the development

Header tanks will be placed in the roof space to facilitate a gravity feed system. The capacity
required will be small as its purpose is to avoid the pump in the storage tank from switching
on and of constantly every time a toilet is flushed. When a minimum level in the header tank
is reached the pump will cut in and replenish the supply from the outside storage tank. This
will reduce the number of times the pump is used throughout the day and reduce the energy
requirements of the system.
All the shower, bath and wash hand basin greywater will be collected and treated in a
centralised treatment area and redistributed to the header tanks in each of the buildings. Dual
plumbing will be required, separate disposal pipes for the shower and wash hand basins to
the greywater recycling tank, and the WC flushing.
Plastic pipes 100mm in diameter with a k value of 0.06mm will be used and will be sufficient
to carry a flow of 3.15 litres per second at a slope of 1:500 with a velocity of 0.402 metres
per second12. The pipe network will be laid in the road with connections to each of the
buildings and will be sealed so no infiltration can occur. The greywater will only consist of
small amounts of grit and filtration will take place at the start of the pipe network to avoid
pipe blockages.

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www.envirocare.ie

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Tables for the hydraulic design of pipes, sewers and channels

Housing & Sustainability

0.7.3 Treatment required

Stilling ponds and reed beds were not used due to the size and land that would be required.
The greywater will be mildly polluted and therefore treatment will be required including
disinfection. A centralised system will be used to aid maintenance on the development.
Treatment area will consist of a collection tank for the incoming greywater which will act as
a primary settling tank, a biological treatment process using rotating biological contactor, a
secondary settling tank, a fine mesh filter, disinfecting and a storage tank.
The residential development will have two treatment facilities capable of treating 40000 litres
per day.
Space requirements are dependent on
the plant size. The following table
shows approximate space
requirements.

Daily Output

Space Requirement

5,000 litres

20 sqm.

10,000 litres

25 sqm.

20,000 litres

Figure 3-3 Space requirement for daily output

35 sqm.
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0.8 Residential units

The Code for Sustainable Homes suggests that the number of occupants per dwelling should
be estimated as 2 per master bedroom and 1 per each additional bedroom. However to take
into account the maximum possible occupants the number was estimated as 2 per bedroom.
Washing machines with a capacity of 49 litres and dishwashers with a 13-litre capacity will
be installed.
Rainwater will be used for garden use (see external water use) and washing machines when
available. The water main will be used to supplement supply when water shortages occur,
however this is not likely to be required. Householders are not required to carry out any
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Housing & Sustainability

maintenance of the greywater system as it is all controlled and maintained from a central
location.
Using the guidelines and tables in the Code for Sustainable Homes the potable water
consumption will be reduced to 100 litres per person per day achieving the level 4 target.
This is assuming that the 3800 potential occupants will be on site constantly, which will be
unlikely as a percentage of the residents will leave the development for work and other
purposes.
Two treatment areas will be required one for the north side and one for the south side, each
capable of treating up to 40000 litres per day. Although one treatment facility would be
slightly more economical there are a number of reasons for having two treatment locations:
In the event of a breakdown in one of the plants everyone will not have to resort to using
potable water and any excess treated water can be taken from the other treatment facility.
The size of the treatment facility is kept in proportion and does not visually impact on the
surrounding development, although its location has been carefully selected.
For health and safety purposes, in the unlikely event of contamination the affected population
is reduced.
As the topography of the site will be relatively flat a large network would increase the depth
of the pipes in the ground leading to increased costs of installation and any future
maintenance if required.
To have the installed pipe network laid in the road network, without placing it on the major
link road. Encase future maintenance work is required disruption will be kept to a minimum.

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0.9 Further education campus

The population of the campus is 508 throughout 16 buildings. There will be no individual
washing machines installed allowing the rainwater to be redirected to the communal building
to be used in the laundry area. This is viable as all the washing machines are in the one
location and maintenance can be carried out efficiently. The water usage of a dishwasher was
taken into account even though one will not be installed, as it is a requirement of the code.
The treatment facility will have the capacity to treat up to 20,000 litres per day. Using the
guidelines and tables in the Code for Sustainable Homes the potable water consumption will
be reduced to 90 litres per person per day achieving the level 4 target. This is not taking into
account that the campus will only be 40% occupied during the summer months14.

0.10 Additional measures

Along with using rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling, low flow water fittings and
water efficient appliances will be installed to reduce the water consumption. The systems are
centralised and staff will carry out maintenance regularly. As personal behaviour heavily
influences the volume of potable water used, an information leaflet will be included in the
home user guide to try and change the behaviour of the occupants in a positive way in terms
of water usage. Meters will be installed to make the occupants aware of their potable water
consumption and to provide for the possible introduction of water charges.

0.11 Cost
The cost of the system will be reduced due to it being installed during the construction phase
although an exact figure is not known. The low flow fittings and water efficient appliances
will add little or no cost as they are similar in price to standard appliances. When water
charges are introduced the installed systems will significantly reduce that cost, as well as
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Queens Elms Village

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reducing the cost associated with treating the wastewater. Water charges when introduced
will be approximately 1 per cubic metre and for sewerage discharge costs approximately 2
per cubic metre15. If these charges were in place the greywater recycling system would have
the potential to save up to 80,000 per annual and the installed systems would repay for
themselves within 2-4 years.

0.12 Conclusion
Installing low water flow fittings and water efficient appliances can help to reduce potable
water consumption however the significant reduction is due to rainwater harvesting and
greywater recycling.
Incorporating these systems within the development helped achieved the level 4 target of less
than 105 litres per person per day.

Using the guidelines and tables in the Code for

Sustainable Homes the potable water consumption will be reduced to 100 litres per person
per day for the residential units and 90 litres per person per day for the further education
campus.
Along with the many benefits it will also be economical for large developments if water
charges were to be introduced. With greywater recycling also reducing the wastewater to be
collected and treated.

15

http://www.niwater.com/waterandtradeeffluentcharges.asp

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0.13 Bibliography
Anderson Jane, The green guide to specification, an environmental profiling system for
buildings, 4th edition, Watford, IHS BRE Press, 2009.
Code for sustainable homes, technical guide, April 2008, London, Department for
Communities and Local Government, 2008.
Rainwater and greywater use in buildings, best practice guidance, D.J. Leg, London, CIRIA,
2001.
Roaf Susan, Ecohouse a design guide, Sue Roaf, Manuel Fuentes and Stephanie Thomas, 3rd
edition, London, Architectural, 2007.
Smerdon Tom, Sustainable housing options for independent energy, water supply and sewer,
Bracknell, Building Services Research and Information Association, 1997.
Tables for the hydraulic design of pipes, sewers and channels, 8 th edition volume 1, HR
Wallingford and D.
Bord na Mona website www.bnm.ie
Envirocare website www.envirocare.ie
Freewater UK website www.freewateruk.co.uk
Friends of the Earth http://www.green-office.org.uk/audit.php?goingto=factsheet5
Green Works website http://www.greenworks-energy.co.uk/water-conserving-bath.php
Klargester website www.klargester.ie
Northern Ireland Water website: http://www.niwater.com/waterandtradeeffluentcharges.asp

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