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Gormley announces amendment to Part G (Hygiene) of the Building Regulations

20/08/08


John Gormley T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, today (20 August 2008) announced that following a public consultation process, he has signed into law an amendment to Part G (Hygiene) of the national Building Regulations.  This amendment provides for greater efficiency in the use of water by means of the mandatory installation of dual flush toilets, both in new buildings and in existing buildings where WCs are being replaced, with effect from 1 November 2008.

The Minister said: “I am honouring a commitment given to make dual flush toilets mandatory in the interest of water conservation.  This measure alone will save hundreds of millions of litres of drinking water each year.”  

The requirement to install dual flush toilets in new and existing buildings from next November will complement local authority activity under the National Water Conservation Programme to make better use of the country’s water resources.   The Programme, which is largely funded by the Minister’s Department, enables local authorities to achieve significant reductions in unaccounted-for water in public water supplies through active leakage control and mains rehabilitation programmes in their areas.  The best example of this is Dublin where, since the mid-1990s, the city has managed to meet the requirements of phenomenal growth rates in housing and commercial development with a combination of modest increases in water supply and a comprehensive leakage control programme.

“As our economy and population increases, so does the demand for water,” said the Minister.  “More water must be extracted at source and then treated to make it fit for human consumption.  Water conservation is, therefore, crucial to a more sustainable use of our water resources and is a practical and economic way of meeting much of the extra demand created by our growing economy.”  

“Water is a precious resource and, like all resources, should be used wisely,” continued the Minister.  “Treated water is expensive to produce.   Wasting it means unnecessary expense to the consumer and producer, puts undue pressure on our raw water sources and can lead to environmental degradation.  We must also cut back on the energy consumed in the treatment of water to make it drinkable.”  

The Minister pointed out that more than one third of the drinking water produced is used to flush toilets. Dual flush toilet cisterns have a mechanism that allows two modes of operation, involving a 6 litres and a 4 litres flush. By contrast, current single flush cisterns generally use between 6 litres and 9 litres per flush.


“When applied to current annual housing projections”, the Minister stated, “dual flush toilets in new dwellings should reduce drinking water consumption by approximately 10% in these dwellings, or by almost 500 million litres of drinking water every year.  This is equivalent to the total volume of water consumed in the Greater Dublin area every day.”

“By signing these new Part G Building Regulations to-day, I am demonstrating in a very practical way what can be achieved by implementing effective water conservation measures,” concluded the Minister.


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