Code for Sustainable Homes

On the 27 February 2008 the Government confirmed a mandatory rating against the Code will be implemented for new homes from 1 May 2008.

The Code measures the sustainability of a new home against categories of sustainable design, rating the ‘whole home’ as a complete package.  The Code uses a 1 to 6 star rating system to communicate the overall sustainability performance of a new home.  The Code sets minimum standards for energy and water use at each level and, within England, replaces the EcoHomes scheme, developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).

The Code also gives new homebuyers better information about the environmental impact of their new home and its potential running costs, and offer builders a tool with which to differentiate themselves in sustainability terms.

Since April 2007 the developer of any new home in England can choose to be assessed against the Code.

Guidance

On 13 December 2006 the Code for Sustainable Homes - the new national standard for the design and construction of sustainable new homes was launched.

The latest technical guidance manual is the April 2008 version and sets out the requirements for the Code, and the process for achieving a Code assessment. It aims to make gaining a Code assessment as simple, transparent and rigorous as possible.

A list of changes between this version (April 2008) and the previous version (October 2007) of the Code for Sustainable Homes Technical Guidance is published as a separate document. In addition to this, where the assessment criteria have changed or special cases amended, these have been back highlighted in grey within the text of this document.

Order

The latest technical guidance is a priced publication available from RIBA Bookshops Mail Order, 15 Bonhill Street, London, EC2P 2EA. Order through the orders telephone line: 020 7256 7222, Fax: 020 7374 2737, Email: sales@ribabookshops.com or visit the RIBA online bookshop to buy.

Downloads

The technical guidance also underpins the publication: The Code for Sustainable Homes: Setting the Sustainability Standards for New Home that was published on 27 February 2008, which set out the current assessment process and the performance standards required for the Code.

Consultation

On 23 July 2007 Communities and Local Government published a consultation: The future of the Code for Sustainable Homes - Making a rating mandatory  (PDF 551 Kb) on proposals to make rating against the Code for Sustainable Homes mandatory. This consultation also asks about the future of the Code, including whether Lifetime Homes standards should be made mandatory at progressively lower levels of the Code over time.

On 16 November 2007 the Department published a summary of responses to this consultation: The Future of the Code for Sustainable Homes - Making a Rating Mandatory: Summary of Responses (PDF 304 Kb). The principle message is that as a result of consultation, the Government confirmed it would be proceeding with the implementation of mandatory rating against the Code for all new homes.

Background

The Code for Sustainable Homes was launched as part of a package of measures towards zero carbon development, including an overarching consultation: Building A Greener Future  on the shift to zero carbon; and a consultation on the draft of a new Planning Policy Statement: Planning and Climate Change.

Communities and Local Government (then ODPM) carried out a public consultation on the code between 4 December 2005 and 6 March 2006.  The consultation document, summary of responses to the consultation and the Regulatory Impact Assessment can be viewed on the Communities and Local Government website. 

Related Publication

Carbon Reductions in New Non Domestic Buildings: UK-Green Building Council (UK-GBC) Report

Archived Publication

The publications below are now out of date and therefore should no longer be referred to.

Code for Sustainable Homes - A step-change in sustainable home building practice (PDF 264 kb)

Code for Sustainable Homes - A step-change in sustainable home building practice (WORD 3022 kb)

Previous Technical Guidance (October 2007) can be found here (PDF 2Mb).

Previous Technical Guidance (March 2007) can be found here (PDF 2Mb).