The Code for Sustainable Homes was an environmental assessment method for rating and certifying the performance of new homes in

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. First introduced in 2006, it is a national standard for use in the design and construction of new homes with a view to encouraging continuous improvement in sustainable home building. In 2015 the Government in England withdrew it, consolidating some standards into Building Regulations.

History

The Code was officially launched in December 2006, and was introduced as a voluntary standard in England in 2007. It complemented the system of Energy Performance Certificates for new homes introduced in 2008 under the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and built on recent changes to Building Regulations in England and Wales. The Government-owned scheme was a successor to the

BRE British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, "English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, ...

EcoHomes scheme first used in 2000. BRE managed and developed the technical contents of th
Code standard
for and on behalf of the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). In 2015 with the winding down of the Government-owned Code for Sustainable Homes in England

launched the new consumer facing scheme th
Home Quality Mark
in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Description

The Code works by awarding new homes a rating from Level 1 to Level 6, based on their performance against nine sustainability criteria which are combined to assess the overall environmental impact. Level 1 was entry level above building regulations, and Level six is the highest, reflecting exemplary developments in terms of sustainability. The sustainability criteria by which new homes are measured are: * Energy and CO₂

emissions Emission may refer to: Chemical products * Emission of air pollutants, notably: **Flue gas, gas exiting to the atmosphere via a flue ** Exhaust gas, flue gas generated by fuel combustion ** Emission of greenhouse gases, which absorb and emit rad ...

– Operational Energy and resulting emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere (different minimum standards that must be met at each level of the Code) * Water – Internal and external water saving measures specified (minimum standards that must be met at each level of the Code). * Materials – The sourcing and

environmental impact Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

of materials used to build the home (minimum standards present). *Surface water run-off – Management of surface water run-off from the development and flood risk (minimum standards present). * Waste – Storage for recyclable waste and compost, and care taken to reduce, reuse and recycle construction materials (minimum standards present). * Pollution – The use of insulation materials and heating systems that do not add to

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. * Health and well-being – Provision of good daylight quality,

sound insulation Soundproofing is any means of impeding sound propagation. There are several basic approaches to reducing sound: increasing the distance between source and receiver, decoupling, using noise barriers to reflect or absorb the energy of the sound ...

, private space, accessibility, and adaptability (minimum standards present for Code Level 6 only). * Management – A Home User Guide, designing in security, and reducing the impact of construction. * Ecology – Protection and enhancement of the ecology of the area and efficient use of

building land A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and funct ...

Application

There are simple and inexpensive methods of gaining credits, like specifying compost and recycling bins, and costly methods such as installing solar

photovoltaics Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...

. Compliance with higher levels of the Code is voluntary, with a long-term view for step-change increases. Landowners and agents sell sites with stipulations to build at certain Code levels. The extra-over cost of building to Code Level 3 was valued around £2000-3000. Additionally the Code assessment cost around £2000 for a small project. The total cost was typically under 5% of a standard build. Code levels pertaining to energy required a Dwelling Emission Rate (DER) a certain percentage higher than the Target Emission Rate (TER) as set in Part L1A of the Building Regulations. The October 2010 version of the Code saw Part L 2010 TER standards rise equivalent to Code level 3. Following this change Code level 4 required 25% DER improvement over Part L1A 2010 TER standards and code level 5 required a 100% improvement i.e. thermally twice as efficient. It was also anticipated that the Building Regulations as well as the minimum mandatory Code level would continue to improve until the 2016 target of 'net zero emissions' was met. Guidance was also available via the Code's simply explained published document to clarify the technical requirements.

Reaction

The scheme was welcomed by the WWF for putting zero carbon development at the top of the industry agenda, and by the

Association for Environment Conscious Building The Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB) is the leading network for sustainable building professionals in the United Kingdom. Membership of the AECB includes local authorities, housing associations, builders, architects, design ...

for including 'whole house’ carbon emissions. Despite these positive reactions, even a zero carbon building would only achieve Level 1 of the Code unless further measures are taken to comply with other requirements. Other reactions were generally welcoming, but with some reservations. Views of the scheme were not always so positive; early drafts were heavily criticised by industry commentators, both for being unnecessary (due to it being apparently modelled on the existing EcoHomes scheme) and due to its contents. In March 2011 the WWF representative on the Steering Group resigned "in despair" due to the failure of government to accept the Steering Group's advice and recommendations. The

Construction Products Association The Construction Products Association (CPA) is a UK construction industry trade association. It represents and champions manufacturers and suppliers of construction products. As well as representing some of the largest construction product manufa ...

criticised the original proposals as being confusing. The Sustainable Development Commission was keen that the standard was extended to cover existing homes, and covered this and other recommendations in its report 'Stock Take'. In March 2014, the government announced plans to consolidate housing regulations and standards, including the scrapping of the Code for Sustainable Homes, with its some performance standards being integrated into the Building Regulations. Code for Sustainable Homes was withdrawn by the Conservative Government in March 2015 for new developments. The Code continues to operate for "legacy developments" in England and in Wales and Northern Ireland

References

External links

Jan 2007: Survey shows major increase in demand for sustainable homes
{{Energy in the United Kingdom, energyconserv Building engineering Housing in the United Kingdom Low-energy building in the United Kingdom Sustainable building in the United Kingdom Energy conservation in the United Kingdom Town and country planning in England Housing in England Environment of England Environment of Wales