Wat 04 Water efficient equipment

CN1 

Criteria 1 and 2

Both options: All criteria relevant to the building type and function apply.

Refer to Appendix D – BREEAM UK New Construction and Shell and Core Project Assessments for a more detailed description of the above shell and core assessment options.

CN1.1 

Only irrigation systems present

See criterion 1.

Where the only unregulated water demand comes from an irrigation system specified/installed by the developer, then this system must be used for the purpose of assessing compliance.

CN1.2 

No irrigation systems present

See criterion 1.

CN2 

CN3 

Reducing unregulated water consumption

See criterion 2.

BREEAM does not prescriptively define all potential means or solutions for reducing unregulated water consumption. The design team needs to demonstrate to the assessor that they have identified key areas of water consumption in the building and that a reduction in unregulated water consumption has been achieved using existing 'tried and tested' solutions or new innovative solutions relevant to the building and its functional requirements. The following are some examples of solutions deemed to satisfy compliance for a number of different building types or functions (where the unregulated water demand for that function is one of/the significant contributor in the building):

1. Drip-fed subsurface irrigation incorporating soil moisture sensors. The irrigation control should be zoned to permit variable irrigation to different planting assemblages.
2. Reclaimed/recovered water from a rainwater collection or waste water recovery system, with appropriate storage, i.e. greywater collection from building functions or processes that use potable water, e.g. vehicle wash, training water in fire stations, sanitary facilities, irrigation etc. This should take into account the Government Buying Standards1http://sd.defra.gov.uk/advice/public/buying/products/water-using-products/ where appropriate to the building type.
3. External landscaping and planting that relies solely on precipitation, during all seasons of the year.
4. All planting specified is restricted to contextually appropriate species that thrive without irrigation and will continue to do so in those conditions likely as a result of climate change, i.e. typically warmer and drier conditions.

One or more of the appropriate evidence types listed in The BREEAM evidential requirements section can be used to demonstrate compliance with these criteria.