SDS RECOGNISED IN THREE CATEGORIES AT THE SHOWHOME AWARDS 2025

The winners of the prestigious Showhome Awards 2025 were announced today, 15 May 2025, and SDS was named a finalist in two categories: “Innovation of the Year” and “Sustainable Product of the Year”. In addition, SDS has also been shortlisted for “Smart Product of the Year”, cementing its position as a leader in forward-thinking water management solutions.

The recognition highlights the innovation and impact of SDS’s ground-breaking Intellistorm® and SYMBiotIC™ smart water technologies, which are helping to transform the UK’s approach to sustainable development, water conservation, and flood resilience.

Developed to meet the combined pressures of climate change and urban growth, Intellistorm® and SYMBiotIC™ represent a significant step forward in residential water management. While traditional systems treat stormwater attenuation and rainwater harvesting as separate processes—requiring additional infrastructure, space, and cost—SDS’s integrated approach allows intelligent, real-time control of rainwater storage and release, helping to reduce both flood risk and potable water use.

The Intellistorm® system uses live weather forecast data to actively manage water levels in tanks or water butts, pre-emptively releasing water ahead of forecast rainfall to optimise attenuation capacity. Harvested water is then stored for non-potable uses such as flushing toilets, garden irrigation, and car washing. This is enabled by SYMBiotIC™, SDS’s secure cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) platform, which monitors and optimises system performance remotely.

The system has already been deployed successfully across a wide range of residential contexts—from individual homes to community-scale projects. These include the award-winning ‘Smarter Drop Street’ retrofit in Newmarket, sustainable rainwater systems on the Isles of Scilly, and installations at flagship demonstration homes such as Barratt Developments’ “Z House” and the University of Suffolk’s “Smart House”. In Combe Martin, North Devon, 34 smart installations have collectively saved more than 200,000 litres of potable water annually and supported improvements in local bathing water quality.

Dr Neil Sewell, Director of New Technology Systems of SDS, commented:

“We are delighted to have been named finalists in both the Innovation and Sustainable Product categories, and to be shortlisted for Smart Product of the Year. Intellistorm® and SYMBiotIC™ show the power of integrated smart technologies in making our homes and communities more resilient. This recognition from Showhome Magazine affirms the vital role of innovation in creating a more sustainable built environment.”

SDS continues to advocate for policy reform to enable wider adoption of rainwater reuse technologies. Despite their proven benefits, current regulations still prohibit the direct connection of rainwater recycling systems to domestic plumbing for uses such as WC flushing, creating unnecessary barriers to sustainable water use in new and existing homes.