ACCREDITATION EWL, DEFRA, TMV2 & TMV3
The European Water Label
All Twyford toilets and many other Twyford products are registered and therefore listed by the European Water Label (EWL). The European Water Label is designed to help easily identify water efficient products, which when installed and used correctly will use less water and save energy and money, compared to other products available in the market.
Waterwise
Twyford were the pioneers of Flushwise®, the dual flush 4/2.6 litre technology for toilets that has since become widely adopted across the UK bathroom industry, it is for this product that Twyford received the Waterwise Marque back in 2007. The Waterwise Marque - the first scheme in the UK to highlight water efficient products. It is awarded annually to products which reduce water wastage or raise awareness of water efficiency.
DEFRA
The DEFRA Water Technology List formed part of the UK Government’s Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme, which encouraged businesses to invest in water-efficient technologies. The scheme included efficient toilets and low-flush toilet technology that met defined water-efficiency criteria, helping organisations reduce water consumption and support more sustainable building specifications. A range of Twyford products are registered for the DEFRA Enhanced Capital Allowance Schemes (ECA). Water technology list for efficient toilets.
TMV2 and TMV3
TMV2 is an accreditation for thermostatic mixing valves that conform to BS-EN 1111 and 1287. Reliable thermal safety performance for domestic bath shower or bidet use.
TMV3 is a standard created for thermostatic mixing valves in healthcare and commercial areas that have enhanced thermal safety performance and comply with NHS Estates requirements specification DO8.
BREEAM
The Co-operative Group HQ in Manchester was awarded the highest ever BREEAM rating and was officially opened by the Queen on 14th November 2013. Twyford are delighted to have been involved in this momentous development, constituting one of the World’s most environmentally-friendly buildings.
Regulations and Standards
The following information gives references and sources for UK Regulations and Standards
for sanitary provision in commercial and domestic buildings.
These may not be applicable in countries and regions other than the UK and may differ between England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland.
The requirements for the provision of sanitary fittings are, in general, governed by the UK Building Regulations. These, in turn, relate to British and European standards. For some applications specific guidance documents may be relevant e.g. Healthcare.
Twyford has invested heavily in product development and can guarantee that the sanitaryware it supplies fully complies with regulations. All Twyford WCs pass the UK flush test (EN997 Class 2), one of the most stringent flush tests in Europe.
Building Regulations, England and Wales
The Building Regulations for England and Wales exist principally to ensure the health and safety of people in and around buildings. They also provide for access to and around buildings.
The regulations apply to most new buildings and many alterations of existing buildings, whether domestic, commercial or industrial.
The following building regulations refer to sanitary ware, further information is available at:
www.planningportal.gov.uk
• Building Regulations Part G - Sanitation, Hot water safety & Water efficiency
• Building Regulations Part H - Drainage and waste disposal
• Building Regulations Part M - Access and use of buildings
Building Regulations, Scotland
The following website is a useful source for the details of the regulations:
www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Building/Building-standards
Building Control Northern Ireland
The following website is a useful source for the details of the regulations:
www.buildingcontrol-ni.com/regulations
Water Regulations
The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 are applicable to England and Wales.
In Scotland they are known as The Water Byelaws and are there to protect the public water supply from waste, misuse, undue consumption and contamination.
Healthcare (Health Building Notes)
Issued by the Department of Health, Health Building Notes give best practice guidance on the designand planning of new healthcare buildings and on the adaptation/extension of existing facilities.They provide information to support the briefing and design processes for individual projects inthe NHS building programme.
HBN 00-10 Part C / HTM64
This Health Building Note (HBN) outlines the policy and performance requirements for sanitary assemblies used in healthcare facilities. These requirements are a set of essential standards of quality and safety that sanitary assemblies must comply with. It supersedes Health Technical Memorandum 64 (England only).
For further information visit: www.gov.uk/dh and search for ‘health building notes’ and ‘healthtechnical memoranda’ to open the full series.
Code for sustainable homes
Following the technical housing standards review, in March 2015 the government issued a written ministerial statement withdrawing the code for sustainable homes, aside from the management of legacy cases.
Legacy cases are:
• those where residential developments are legally contracted to apply a code policy(e.g. affordable housing funded through the National Affordable Housing Programme 2015 to 2018, or earlier programme)
• where planning permission has been granted subject to a condition stipulating discharge of a code level, and developers are not appealing the condition nor seeking to have it removed or varied
In these instances only it is possible to continue to register code cases and conduct code assessments.The code for sustainable homes was the national standard for the sustainable design and constructionof new homes. It aimed to reduce carbon emissions and promote higher standards of sustainable design above the current minimum standards set out by the building regulations
The code used a 1 to 6 star system to rate the overall sustainability performance of a new homeagainst 9 different categories of sustainability.
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment EnvironmentalAssessment Methodology)
First published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990, BREEAM is the world’s longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of buildings.
BREEAM works to raise awareness amongst owners, occupiers, designers and operators of the benefitsof taking a sustainability approach. It helps them to successfully cost and effectively adopt sustainable solutions, and provides market recognition of their achievements.
BREEAM assessment covers a range of criteria including Energy and Water.
Regarding water the aim of the assessment is to reduce the consumption of potable water for sanitaryuse in new buildings from all sources through the use of water efficient components and water recycling systems including WCs, Urinals, Taps & Showers.
For more information visit: www.breeam.com