Politicians call on government to green-light new energy and water-saving technology

A coalition of almost 20 MPs and members of the House of Lords, has called on the government to greenlight the widespread deployment of new energy and water-saving technologies. 

Spearheaded by Conservative backbench MP Henry Smith, the cross-party coalition has written to chancellor Jeremy Hunt asking him to “carefully consider” the widespread implementation of these technologies.  

At the heart of their campaign is a clear message – for the UK to commit to a “widespread implementation of water-saving technologies, which have been proven to lower household water and energy bills, address water scarcity and nitrate concerns and tackle carbon emissions”.

Central to the group’s argument is that current policy “completely misses the fact” that up to 40% of energy used in an average household is used to heat water and yet currently no Government scheme tackles this. 

The coalition group argues the use of water efficiency technologies could see household energy bills decrease by nearly £400 in some cases – with devices costing less than £170 to install, meaning savings are made in less than six months per household. 

Importantly these high-spec technologies do not restrict water flow. 

Rather, contemporary devices adeptly manage water flow, minimising fluctuations in water pressure and in most cases, households remain oblivious to their presence. 

In the letter to Mr Hunt, the group says water control products are not supported in the government’s fuel poverty scheme, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) as the legislation only allows technologies that reduce the heating costs of properties. 

It adds: “Under the latest iteration of ECO (ECO4) additional measures, such as water-saving products, can be retrospectively added to the scheme via secondary legislation, illustrating that this is a quick fix which has the potential to reduce household energy bills on a mass scale. 

“We therefore call on Government to deliver a joined-up approach that addresses the full energy consumption and thereby reduces costs.”

The group says the products are already recognised as a successful tool by Government – evidenced by their inclusion in the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

The coalition emphasises in its letter the urgency of the nation's housebuilding dilemma, where approximately 120,000 new build homes are in development limbo due to concerns over water stress and elevated nitrate levels in local water catchment areas. 

By extensively implementing water efficiency technologies the coalition asserts that the government “can not only resume paused developments but also mitigate the environmental impact of nitrates reintroduced into rivers and streams through wastewater processes”.