New homes in England could be fitted with mandatory water-saving showers and toilets under government proposals to save water.
The environment department is consulting on plans to require house builders to fit new properties with features like aerated taps and shower heads and dual flush toilets.
It comes as five areas in England still battle drought this autumn, following a record hot summer.
The government said the proposals would have a negligible impact on user experience, while cutting water use by about 20 litres per person per day, and saving £100 a year on household bills.
England is otherwise expected to face water shortages of five billion litres per day by 2050, driven by a growing population and climate change wreaking havoc on rainfall patterns.
Freeing up more water could unblock housing developments, allowing an extra 1,000 homes to be built for every 5,230 built to the new standards, ministers hope.
Emma Reynolds, promoted to environment secretary in the recent reshuffle, said: “Removing the water shortage barriers that have stalled development for too long will mean unlocking thousands of new homes while saving families’ money.”
Crawley Borough Council last year declared a “housing emergency” – citing water demand measures as one of many factors preventing house-building.
Meanwhile, new non-housing developments have been banned in Hartismere in Cambridge until 2033 due to a lack of water supply.
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Call to retrofit old homes
The consultation is part of a wider push to reduce water consumption at home from around 137 litres per person per day to 110 litres by 2050.
Other changes to the current building regulations could include harvesting rainwater to flush loos in the home.
Psychology professor Benjamin Gardner, who specialises in behaviour change at Surrey University, said such changes are “likely to be highly effective” without people “even noticing a difference in their daily lives”.
But he said those in older homes should also have the same chances to save water and money: “Retrofitting water-saving technology into existing homes should be a priority too.”
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Campaigners and housing developers welcomed the proposals.
Rhodri Williams of the Homes Builders Federation said: “New builds are significantly more water efficient than older homes, saving owners on average £126 a year and reducing the county’s water use by billions of litres a year.
“Factoring this into planning decisions is a sensible move that should unblock desperately needed homes currently held up in water stressed areas.”
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River Action said the government had moved too slowly.
Its CEO James Wallace said: “The once-feared for water crisis is already here. This summer was one of the driest and hottest on record.”
Urging the government to get tougher on water firms to tackle leaks, he added: “Families should not be carrying the burden alone.”
The water industry says it plans to halve leakage by 2050.
