Working in partnership to improve water efficiency for council housing stock

Crawley Borough Council is currently working in partnership with Cenergist to roll out a programme to improve the water efficiency of its existing housing stock across the borough, with occupants expected to benefit from reduced water and energy consumption.

The council has pioneered this strategy of retrofitting water saving devices into its existing housing stock, in response to Natural England’s decision back in September 2021 to change local planning requirements so that any future housing development must be built as water neutral. 

The roll-out follows a pilot carried out in summer 2022 of 100 properties with positive results. So far over 750 existing council properties have been retrofitted with Control Flow, a flow-regulating device which controls the volume of water passing through, while also stabilising the water pressure, giving improved water efficiency. 

The retrofitting programme has made good progress and has provided sufficient water savings to unlock two affordable housing schemes in the borough with water neutrality having been achieved. This will result in permission to start the construction of 206 affordable dwellings.

Cenergist has been appointed to arrange installation of this water-saving measure as well as provide general water-saving advice. If residents have any enquiries, they can contact Cenergist directly on 0191 222 3325.