Relaxations

The water fittings regulations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, byelaws in Scotland include provision for water undertakers to apply to their regulator for a relaxation of schedule 2 requirements. 

Relaxations granted in England by the Secretary of State, in Wales by the Welsh Assembly, in Scotland by the Scottish Minister and in Northern Ireland by the Department for Regional Development. 

If an authorisation to relax a requirement is granted the water undertaker, then has the option to relax this requirement in their area of supply. To date a small number of relaxations have been granted by regulators in different parts of the UK. 

Relaxations granted to date include the following.

• Shower (bidet) for disabled users

• internal overflows in WC cisterns

• Mikrofill device for backflow prevention

• Dual and interruptible flushing mechanisms retrofitted to ‘byelaws’ WC cisterns

• Provision of equivalent safety devices on unvented hot water primary and secondary storage systems. (Please note the terms of this relaxation supersede an earlier relaxation granted for the Provision of equivalent safety devices on unvented water heaters.)

 To view a summary of all the relaxations granted to date please click here.