EWSC Project Reports

This summary report sets out the headline findings from EWSC’s assessment of the whole‑life operational cost and carbon impacts of water reuse systems in new residential development in England. It provides a clear, decision focused overview of what water reuse systems cost to run over a building’s lifetime, how those costs compare to conventional infrastructure solutions, and what the implications are for carbon, water security, and housing delivery.

For the first time, the industry has a bottom‑up, site‑by‑site evidence base for the whole‑life operational expenditure (OPEX) and whole‑life carbon (WLC) of water reuse systems, calculated using real data from representative UK residential developments. The analysis covers a range of development typologies, from low‑rise housing to high‑density apartments, and a range of reuse solutions including rainwater harvesting, stormwater reuse and greywater recycling.

Together with EWSC’s previously published work on the capital (CAPEX) costs of water reuse systems, this summary demonstrates that water reuse is not a premium option, but a viable, scalable alternative to traditional infrastructure investment. The evidence strengthens the planning, economic, and environmental case for water‑smart design as standard, particularly on larger and strategic development sites where water scarcity is already constraining growth.

This summary report is supported by a more detailed technical report, also available to download from this webpage, which sets out the full methodology, assumptions, site data, calculations, and detailed results underpinning the findings presented here.