PART G –Water shortages ahead?
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Part G Consultation: Government Seeks to Reduce Home Water Usage to 105 Litres Per Person Daily by 2026
Water is rarely out of the news these days; the lack of it falling from the sky, the quality of it in our rivers and seas. Now the Government has launched a Part G consultation aimed at heading off a water shortage by reducing the demand from new housing. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs says:
A failure to implement water demand management measures in response to water scarcity could result in over 61,000 houses not being built costing the economy £25 billion this parliamentary term. Increasing the water efficiency of housing offers opportunities to reduce the risk of planning constraints on new developments due to water scarcity risks.
DEFRA Proposes Stricter Building Regulations Water Standards to Address Scarcity Risks and Enable Housing Growth:
DEFRA is working with MHCLG to explore whether the Building Regulations 2010 could be amended to tighten water efficiency standards and enable consumers to use less water and save on their water and energy bills.
The current statutory Water Demand Target is underpinned by a commitment to lower water usage in homes, to achieve a usage of less than 122 litres per person per day (l/p/d) by 2038, on a trajectory to 110 l/p/d by 2050.
The Consultation proposes a mandatory minimum water efficiency standard of 105 l/p/d for new housing, with an optional technical standard of 100 l/p/d in seriously water stressed areas, and the Regulations taking effect in 2026 with a transition period of 6 months.
As well as seeking views on proposed immediate changes to Approved Document G, it is accompanied by a call for evidence which seeks views on issues beyond 2026, including a possible further tightening of both the mandatory (to 100 or 95 l/p/d) and the optional technical (to 90, 85 or 80 l/p/d) Part G standards in the future, and whether water reuse systems should be required under Part G in future.
https://consult.defra.gov.uk/water-efficiency-demand/review-of-water-efficiency-standards/
The consultation closes 16 December 2025