At Bellway’s Oaklands development, situated on Lanchester Way in Castle Bromwich, the housebuilder is set to install Wavin’s rainwater re-use tanks to all new properties, which will enable homeowners to save money on water bills whilst helping to manage stormwater in a sustainable way.
By collecting rainfall from the roof, passing it through a filter and storing it either above or below ground tanks, the re-use systems enable rainwater to be harvested and then re-used in non-potable applications such as supplying toilets. This ultimately helps to reduce mains water usage.
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The properties at Oaklands will utilise Wavin’s 2,000 and 3,000 litre lightweight polyethylene tanks, which are both easy to install and maintain, whilst still being robust and virtually silent in operation.
Mike Shaw, civils and infrastructure category manager at Wavin, comments: “Surprisingly, flushing the toilet accounts for the single largest amount of water used in a typical household, so using re-claimed water in every flush and minimising mains usage can make simple financial sense for homeowners.
“With regards to the developers themselves, new urban developments, can often put extra pressure on drainage infrastructure and create an unsustainable increase in water run-off, resulting in an increased flooding risk and potential damage to property.
“Bellway have addressed this potential risk by utilising the rainwater re-use tanks, and their sustainable approach will benefit homeowners for many years to come.”
With the average annual rainfall in Birmingham area totalling around 800 millimetres p/a, the Wavin tanks are designed using standard Defra usage figures of 150 litres per person per day, and therefore are able to save 38,760 litres in mains water by using the free rainwater that falls on to the roof.
The re-use systems also make an important contribution towards the Government’s green agenda, addressing the requirements of Category 2 in the Code for Sustainable Homes, whilst combating climate-affected availability of mains-water supply and helping to beat hose pipe bans.
Stephen Rose, sales and marketing director from Bellway Homes commented: “We understand that the demands of the homebuying public have changed over recent years and it has become more important than ever to provide properties that will offer a sustainable and affordable way of life way into the future.
“It’s for this reason that we’ve included products such as the rainwater re-use system on all the properties on this development, as they will provide a cost efficient solution to water usage, and also cut carbon emissions in the long term.”
The Rainwater Re-use systems are part of Wavin’s Intesio stormwater management range of products. The below ground tanks have been designed so that they can be connected together to increase overall capacity for larger domestic properties and are also available in a 4,000 litre capacity.
Bellway’s Oaklands development offers a wide range of two, three and four bedroomed family homes with prices starting at £152,000, and forms part of the Regenerating North Solihull project set to help over 40,000 people living in the area by providing new housing and improved community facilities.
