Ecoplay greywater system help new development meet its sustainability requirements

(09/06/2010)

The UK is the third most water stressed country in Europe according to Waterwise. Lambs' Passage in the Barbican area of London is the latest development to be able to achieve the required levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes for social housing, through the greywater management system Ecoplay.

The development by Nicholas King Homes comprises 59 luxury apartments, of which 21 have been built on behalf of One Housing Group and therefore needed to meet the requirements for social housing of Level 3-4 on the Code for Sustainable Homes. The one and two bedroom apartments are on the edge of the business district and are designed to enable contemporary city living, with access to all local amenities nearby.

The Ecoplay greywater management system recycles bath and shower water to flush up to two WCs. The system is helping housebuilders across the country to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes’ requirements, for which it is now mandatory that social housing meets code level 4.

Warburton Building Services were the mechanical contractor on this new development, they specified and installed the system on behalf of NK Homes.

“The Ecoplay greywater system is a proven renewable technology, which was quick and easy to install and will help the development to meet its sustainability requirements,” said James Warburton of Warburton Building Services. “Use of the Ecoplay System meant the homes could retain many popular features in the bathroom, whilst meeting the requirements for water saving.”

Andy Sandwith, Surveyor from NK Homes, said: “We introduced a number of environmental measures to ensure we could meet the higher code level requirements of social housing. The Ecoplay greywater management system was an important part of this as it meant that it was a fairly straightforward process to reduce water use in these new homes.”

Ecoplay helps to reduce water usage in the home by up to a third, by recycling bath and shower water and using it to flush the toilet. This low-maintenance system involves a skimmer to remove light surface debris, such as foam hair and soap, whilst heaver particles sink and are flushed away to waste. Treated greywater is transferred into a storage tank ready for reuse. The Ecoplay system can hold up to 100 litres, which is capable of providing approximately 15 toilet flushes.

The latest innovation to the system is a special dosing unit, which is integrated within the Ecoplay system and delivers a prescribed shot of disinfectant into the storage unit every time the WC is flushed. This neutralises any bacteria that could potentially cause the water in the storage unit to emit odours.

Graham Fisher, Business Development Director at CME Sanitary Systems, said: “Ecoplay is becoming a popular choice for affordable housing as it can play a major role in helping to meet the higher code levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes. It also means that developers can build homes that appeal to buyers but still conserve water, by not having to compromise on luxury fittings such as power showers or deep baths.”

Related categories:  Grey water   Residential applications   Toilets   Water efficiency