Industry and Parliament Trust event: Optimising water usage in future homes

Claire Hoolohan, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and lead on the University of Manchester work programme for Enabling Water Smart Communities (EWSC), was recently invited to present at an Industry and Parliament Trust event in the House of Commons: ‘Optimising Water Usage in Future Homes’.

Event Background

The Committee on Climate Change predicts that the demand for water in England will exceed supply by between 1.1 and 3.1bn litres per day by the 2050s.

New sustainable housing designs will need to incorporate water-saving measures such as low-flush plumbing and water recycling, including reuse of greywater and even the treatment of wastewater in reed beds or other natural filtration systems.

The Government commissioned a public consultation to make water efficiency labelling mandatory by 2025, aiming to echo energy efficiency labels, with a category rating from A to F on household goods. The majority of respondents (74%) agreed that the proposal will help to reduce water consumption by 2038, however, there continues to be uncertainty around the accuracy of efficiency ratings which could affect this proposal.

As consumers and industry strive to increase the energy and water efficiency of their homes what can the Government do to support this transition?

Securing Futures: Considering the Impact of Insecure Work

This event:

Discussed the use of water recycling systems and the potential water-saving benefits that can be achieved.
Considered how an integrated approach to housebuilding could provide more energy efficient homes.
Examined the current frameworks used for the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating and whether new alternatives could be implemented.

Claire Hoolhan presented alongside All Parliamentary Group on Water co-chair Anne McIntosh, Southern Water director of water operations Tania Flasck, and Water UK head of water Kruti Patel. Below is a summary of her presentation.

Water use in homes

The current focus on reducing water use in homes is commendable. It’s exciting to see new coalitions of actors gathering to discuss how demand reductions can be achieved. However, we must not assume unprecedented reductions in domestic water demand will occur as a result of familiar interventions. Achieving the changes in demand that are needed to ensure resilient water supplies will require not only a pace change in the delivery of water efficiency activities, but also a vast extension of the scope of activity to reduce demand.

The link between energy and hot water use in homes hasn’t received enough attention. Water-related emissions contribute around 6% of overall UK emissions, and most of those emissions result from water heating in people’s homes. Climate and energy policy has to-date focussed on space-heating, appliances, lighting and transport, and reducing water demand will offer benefits for energy and emissions.

Coordinated action needed

Realising the potential benefits of EPC style water certificates, appliance labels, building regs is contingent on coordinated action well-beyond the water industry:

Manufacturers and house-builders adherence to water efficiency standards.
Testing and enforcement of fixtures and fittings so that they meet water efficiency standards.
Value associated with labels and certificates to the buyers of appliances and homes.
The retention of fittings by residents, landlords and tenants’.
Long-term maintenance of water assets and infrastructure.

This is particularly the case when we talk about water reuse and integrated water management. These options are inherently more complex than water efficiency and, though there are many substantial benefits, this makes it difficult to get consistent buy-in from all stakeholders. There is a great deal of upskilling needed, both within the water sector and out, to ensure the management of new water assets.

There needs to be attention on values and business models adjacent to water, to see that these fully support the delivery and retention of water efficiency. We need better recognition of the criticality of water in sectors like housing; the homes that are built now will be lived in for long after the 2050 timeline being talked about in water management. Water needs to be understood as an essential part of a long-term sustainable and resilient housing.

Enabling Water Smart Communities (EWSC)

In the Ofwat-funded Enabling Water Smart Communities project, our work has sought to explore the expectations and experiences of residents who could come to live in homes and developments that incorporate water reuse and integrated water management.

Existing research tells us that public support for recycled water varies. There is no singular public perspective and we should be wary of actors using “the public opinion” to push particular agendas or stall sustainability transitions.

Support is highest for uses that do not involved ingestion or contact with the body.
Many people are indifferent to the idea of water reuse, and neither strongly support or oppose water reuse for domestic purposes.
Support varies substantially between cases and countries, and individual studies report very different findings in similar settings.
People have many different concerns about water reuse – including trust (in technologies and water governance), affordability, water safety, quality and security, who will bear the responsibility for repair and maintenance, and who will be accountable when things go wrong.
Support increases when water reuse is seen to be necessary, well-managed, and to benefit local communities (socially and environmentally).

In our (Hoolohan, Browne, Foggitt) mixed method research, we found broad support for integrated water management, including water reuse. But people have varied priorities for the future of housing, and support is conditional.

People have varied views on governance and participation. Some prefer ‘expert’-led solutions, while others advocate for greater community involvement and decentralised solutions.
Some people are hesitant about new technologies, preferring improvements to existing systems. While others embrace technological developments.
Others are concerned about the ability of commercial actors to deliver housing and water infrastructure that offers social and environmental benefits. Others on the ability of regulators to enforce standards and regulations.

These complexities and contradictions signal the diversity of perspectives on the future of housing. There will be no one-size-fits-all solution, and both the material systems, and the narratives that revolve around the development of water smart communities will need to properly account for peoples’ different priorities and concerns.

People need to see changes working for them, not happening to them – and so it’s important that their different starting points are recognised and addressed. Furthermore, there is a need for regulatory change around water reuse and stewardship that reassure communities that the intended outcomes will be delivered.

Claire appeared on the panel alongside co-chair Anne McIntosh, Tania Flasck, Southern Water and Kruti Patel, Water UK.

Closing remarks

Water efficiency activities have lowered domestic water use, but in recent years these gains have slowed and been countered by societal trends like hyper-cleanliness, personal grooming and luxury bathrooms which drive demand upwards, even as the efficiency of fixtures and fittings efficiency improves.

EPC-style water certificates, appliance labels, building regs are familiar avenues in water efficiency - focussing on technical performance and information provision. These are similar to existing water efficiency activities, and to measures taken in other areas. But, these won’t be enough in the long-term. If we look to energy, mobility, and waste, where consumption practices have a longer history of research, there are persistent calls for more imaginative, more systemic modes of policy and intervention.

A growing body of research and the introduction of new methods has vastly increased our understanding of everyday water use, and the broader developments that affect demand at a population level. Now we need to understand what might be done to move beyond water efficiency, to address water using practices and achieve more radical reductions in domestic water demand.

Achieving the changes in demand that are needed to ensure resilient water supplies will require not only a pace change in the delivery of water efficiency activities, but also a vast extension of the scope of activity to reduce demand.

About Dr Claire Hoolohan

Dr Claire Hoolohan is a Senior Lecturer at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Manchester. Claire’s research specialises in sustainable consumption, environmental policy, and social practices – aiming to understand the role of everyday routines in sustainability transformations. Claire collaborates with industry, NGOs and public sector partners to reimagine policy and intervention so that they more meaningfully engage with demand to foster rapid systemic change.

Claire has authored more than 30 research papers and book chapters related to sustainable consumption, water demand, climate change policy, water-energy nexus, and resource management. Her publications emphasise the importance of reframing consumption in planning, policy and practice so that the complexity of everyday life is better recognised.

Claire leads the University of Manchester work programme in Enabling Water Smart Communities, with Prof. Alison Browne and Dr. Ella Foggitt. Their work provides a social science perspective on the future of water and housing, investigating how water smart communities can contribute to the delivery of social and environmental outcomes. You can read more about their recent work here.