Water is a precious resource that will come under increasing demand as the population of the UK continues to grow and adapt due to climate change. By thinking and acting sustainably today, we can ensure there’s enough for us all tomorrow. We’d like you to help us look after the environment by reducing excess water usage in new homes.

We’re offering incentives for three levels of water efficiency. Depending on the criteria achieved, you could get a payment of up to £350 per property.

If you can show us that you have built a new home to no more than 100 litres per person per day you can apply for one of the following incentive payments:

• 100 litres (per person per day) or less, £250 incentive
• 90 litres (per person per day) or less, £300 incentive
• 85 litres (per person per day) or less, £350 incentive 

Here are a some really important points about our water efficiency incentives that we need you to be aware of:

• Your application must be accompanied by evidence of qualification, this will be a completed fittings table demonstrating your fittings do not exceed the maximum capacity/flow rates for each fitting installed along with the data sheets for each fitting being used.
• The property must have a WC, shower, bath, basin taps and sink taps. The efficiency of dishwashers and washing machines will only be assessed if installed by the developer.
• We will only accept flow regulators that form part of the original Regulation 4 product approval certificate and can be evidenced via the associated data sheet.

Regardless of our Environmental Incentives, you must ensure all fixtures and fittings installed comply with Regulation 4, of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.

The installation of a rain garden can help prevent flooding as they absorb rainwater run-off following downpours and reduce peak flows to watercourses.

In simple terms, a rain garden is a shallow area of ground or dip which receives run-off from roofs and other hard surfaces. Storm water fills the rain garden and then slowly drains into the ground. The rain garden is planted with plants that can stand waterlogging for up to 48 hours offering an attractive, low maintenance and wildlife friendly space.

More information on rain gardens can be found online such as on the RHS and the Susdrain websites.

We’re offering an incentive of £100 per property for the installation of a rain garden.

Here are a some really important points about our rain garden incentive that we need you to be aware of:

• You can apply for our rain garden incentive if the planning authority has approved a surface water drainage solution that connects to a Severn Trent public sewer.
• Your rain garden must be additional to any planning requirements.
• Your rain garden must have a minimum surface area equal to 20% of the roof area that drains into the rain garden, and a minimum depth of 15cm at its shallowest point.
• The roof that drains into the garden must be the property’s main roof.
• Incentive payments for qualifying apartments/flats will be 1 payment for each top floor domestic property, e.g. a block of 20 apartments with 4 domestic apartments on the top floor will receive 4 times the incentive payment.
• Your completed application must be accompanied by the following:

1.  specification of rain garden installed, including area of main roof and area and depth
2.  photos showing the surrounding area and the rain garden, clearly showing the drain from the main roof
3.  your planning approval notice, that clearly details the approved surface water strategy agreed by the planning authority

Installation of permeable surfaces for parking areas and driveways, in place of traditional surfaces, can help prevent flooding by reducing peak flows to watercourses. They can also help reduce the effects of pollution in run-off on the environment.

Examples of permeable surfaces accepted, but not limited to, are:

• Porous concrete block paving or porous concrete
• Loose gravel
• Porous asphalt

We’re offering an incentive of £275 per property for the installation of a permeable driveway or parking space.

Here are a some really important points about our rain garden incentive that we need you to be aware of:

• Your permeable surface must additional to any planning requirements and must allow rainwater to infiltrate into the ground.
• Driveways will receive one incentive payment regardless of the number of vehicles it can hold.
• Flats/apartments will receive payments for the number of properties with a parking space, e.g. a block of 20 apartments with 10 parking spaces will receive 10 incentive payments subject to being compliant with the qualifying criteria.
• Payments are limited to one per flat/apartment regardless of the number of parking spaces allocated to the flat/apartment.
• Your completed application must be accompanied by the following:

1.  the specification of the permeable surface to be installed
2.  a photograph of the surrounding area and of the permeable surface installed
3.  your planning approval notice, that clearly details the approved surface water strategy agreed by the planning authority

You must notify us of your intention to apply for an incentive/s when you make your initial application for a water service connection, for waste only connections you must notify us when you make your application for a wastewater connection.

You must send us a completed Environmental Incentive application form along with the appropriate evidence within 12 weeks of making your new connection. Any applications received more than 12 weeks after your water service connection date may be considered on a case-by-case basis.  You can apply for more than one incentive on each application form.

All fittings, rain gardens and/or permeable surfaces must be installed before making the application. 

You must give us 15 working days after making your Environmental Incentive application to allow us to physically audit your property, should we choose to.

*The application and fittings submission form will be live on our website before we go live on 1^st April 

We will complete a desktop audit of all applications, if your application fails the desktop audit we will help you and give you the opportunity to rectify your application.  We will do this once, failing a second desktop application for the same property will mean that your application has not been successful, and no incentive payment will be made.

If your application passes the desktop audit, we may conduct a physical audit of your property, which can be in-person, via self-serve video and images of site or video call.

You must allow us 15 days after your Environmental Incentive application to perform this audit. Your property must be unoccupied and remain in your ownership during this period. By applying, you agree to these audits.

If your property fails the physical audit, you won’t receive the incentive for that property. You can defer audits for other properties scheduled for the same visit, but a re-audit fee will apply. Incentives won’t be paid for properties that fail audits, and repeated failures will incur a financial penalty.

Please note that any audit for Environmental Incentives should not be confused with a water regulations inspection.

If you can show us that you are building new homes to 100 litres (per person per day) or less you could get a £380.00 discount off your clean water infrastructure charge.

Water is a precious resource that in future will come under increased demand as the population of the UK continues to grow. By thinking and acting sustainably today we can ensure there’s enough for us all tomorrow. We’d like you to help us look after the environment by reducing excess water usage in and around the home.

To aid the conservation of water, anyone building a new home within England must already comply with Part G of The Building Regulations.

Here are a few really important points about our scheme that we need you to be aware of:

• Your application for the Environmental Discount Scheme must be made upfront, it requires our developer customers to opt in before accepting their quote or agreement. Late or retrospective applications cannot be accepted onto the scheme as we cannot add this discount at a later stage in the process. 
• From the 1st of October your application must include either;
• completed fittings table to demonstrate your fittings do not exceed the maximum capacity/flow rates for each fitting installed along with the data sheets for each fitting being used
• water calculations, via the WRc water calculator, and a list of the itemised fixtures and fittings being installed along with the data sheets for each fitting being used
•  Please also note that:
• we will only accept flow regulators that form part of the original Regulation 4 product approval certificate and can be evidenced via the associated data sheet
• click here to view an example of a data sheet, where you can also see the reference to the factory fitted flow restrictor
• only the flow rates from unmodified fixtures and fittings, as provided by the manufacturer, must be used in the calculation,
• fittings must comply in all cases with Regulation 4 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, and
  
• we will only accept a specific calculator, the WRc water calculator, details of which are noted below in the section entitled ‘How to apply and demonstrate that you’re building to 100 litres or less’.
  
• We will honour discounts on valid quotes until the quote lapses.
  
• All requotes from the 1st April 2024 will utilise the 2024-25 scheme discount values and qualifying criteria.

Please note the following points:

• Opting into the environmental discount scheme at agreement stage does not guarantee fixed costs for the life of the development as this scheme is subject to annual review.
• Any sites that have already requested the plot connections will be honoured for the validity period of the quotation, which is a maximum of 6 months from the date of issue. If the plot quotation lapses or needs to be requoted and the scheme has changed, you’ll need to provide evidence to meet the new qualifying conditions.
  
• Any connections that have not been called off and will be completed after the 1st of April 2023 should be built to a maximum of 100 litres per person per day to meet the eligibility criteria and will be subject to the current discount value i.e., aligned to the latest Severn Trent Charging Arrangements and qualifying conditions and discount values of any schemes in operation at that point in time.
  

How to apply and demonstrate that you’re building to 100 litres or less

You can choose to apply for the scheme by using either the water calculator or the fittings table to demonstrate you are building to 100 litres or less.

Using the water calculator:

Water usage is easy to calculate using this water calculator(opens in a new window); simply input all fixtures and fittings (e.g. types of taps, bath and toilet) that you will be installing to show the threshold you are building to.

This is the only calculator we will accept from 1^st April 2023 as it follows the methodology set out in Appendix A "Water Efficiency Calculator for New Dwellings" of the Building Regulations Approved Document G, to calculate the level of water consumption for new dwellings. As a HM Government approved document, no changes, amendments or omissions are allowed to be made to any aspect of the calculations.

Using the fittings table:

To provide your fittings information please complete the table below with the name and model of your fittings as well as the maximum capacity/flow rates for each fittings used. You will also need to provide the data sheet for each fitting. The fittings table can also be found here fittings document (opens in a new window).

To qualify for discount, all fittings used must be within the maximum capacity/flow rate. Where more than one of each fitting is used, the highest maximum capacity/flow rate must be entered in the table.

The installation of the efficient fixtures and fittings will help save water and protect our environment whilst also helping to reduce future water bills.

You’ll then need to complete an application form for new service connections and tell us that you would like to opt into the environmental scheme before you accept your quote or agreement. We will not be able to add this discount at a later stage in the process.

For each property that you have opted to include in the scheme, you must provide:

• Either a copy of the WRc water calculator or completed fittings table which shows the threshold that you have built to.
• This must include the manufacturer and model number for all of the water fixtures and fittings being installed in the property.
• Product datasheets showing the flow rates for each product that you are installing.

Regardless of the environmental discount scheme you must ensure that all fixtures and fittings installed comply with Regulation 4, of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.

If you are unable to provide this information for each property, you will not be eligible for the scheme.

In all cases we will review the information provided by you to confirm compliance with the schemes requirements and confirm the properties that are eligible for the environmental discount scheme.

Assuring compliance

During 2024-25 there will be enhanced evidential requirements and compliance audits. 

Our Water Regulations team will undertake site audits to check fixtures and fittings are compliant and in line with the application form and calculations provided.

If we identify that the fixtures and fittings do not comply with the accepted calculator and specifications, we will contact you and, reserve the right to withdraw the discount and charge full infrastructure charges for properties which fail the audit and the remaining plots on site that are yet to be connected.  Where there is evidence of multiple audit failures, by a developer or agent acting on their behalf, they will not be eligible to apply for the Environmental Discount Scheme (both water and drainage) on future developments for a period of 12 months.

By opting into the scheme you are agreeing to provide access for Severn Trent to audit the fixtures and fittings installed in your properties. Failure to provide access will be treated as non-compliance and result in the same actions as mentioned above.

You could receive a discount of £124.00 if there is no surface water connection made to a public sewer

Sewer flooding is an area our customers ask us to invest in. Sewer flooding can be devasting to our customers, our communities and the environment. The use of sustainable drainage systems can help safeguard homes, streets and roads from the risk of flooding across our region caused by excess surface water.

Due to SUDs being a standard practice mandated through the planning process, we will no longer offer a discount where a surface water connection is made through the use of a sustainable drainage system. However, developer customers can receive a discount where there is no surface water connection made to the public sewer. Our Environmental Discount Scheme rewards surface water drainage solutions which prioritise infiltration or connections to a water body.

To apply please complete the application form for a new connection and ensure that you tell us before you accept your quote or agreement that you would like to opt into our environmental discount  scheme.

You must provide a drainage layout plan showing surface water drainage connectivity for the properties that you wish to claim a discount for. If you are unable to provide this information for each property, then you will not be eligible for the scheme. In all cases we will review the information provided by you to confirm compliance with the schemes requirements and confirm the properties that are eligible for the environmental discount scheme.

Assuring compliance

During 2024-25 there will be enhanced compliance audits. 

We will audit sites to verify details provided in the application. 

If we identify non-compliance we will contact you and, reserve the right to withdraw the discount and charge full infrastructure charges.  Where there is evidence of multiple audit failures, by a developer, they will not be eligible to apply for the Environmental Discount Scheme (both water and drainage) on future developments for a period of 12 months.