The Code

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Single National Standard Comparison with Eco-Homes The Code has 6 levels: Code Assessment- from voluntary to mandatory Cost of Code Compliance Code for Sustainable Homes: Technical Guide Building Magazine - The Code explained

The Code for Sustainable Homes will build on and complement Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) in two ways;

1. by providing a mechanism by which a home builder can more effectively demonstrate the range of measures taken to improve the energy performance of the their products;
2. by providing a broader measure of the overall sustainability of the home.

Both the EPC and the Code use the governments Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) method for the energy performance assessment. But the performance is presented differently;

• the EPC provides the ‘absolute' performance on a ‘fridge ratings' diagram;
• the Code rating illustrates performance in terms of a percentage improvement over building regulations.

By April 2008, all new homes will have an EPC and a Code rating.

The Code is a new national standard for sustainable design and construction of new homes which was launched in December 2006. It is currently a voluntary code which is intended to promote higher environmental standards in housing in advance of the implementation of regulatory standards through the Building Regulations. The Code includes not just energy/carbon but also a wide range of sustainability issues such as water, waste and materials.

Code for Sustainable Homes. A step-change in sustainable home building practice December 2006

The government has produced a 5 minute introductory film on the Code for Sustainable Homes explaining what the Code is, what the benefits are, and how it contributes to other policies, in particular the timeline for zero carbon development. The film is presented by Yvette Cooper MP, the then Minister for Housing and Planning, and features interviews with Paul King, then Campaigns Director for WWF, and John Callcutt, then Chair of the Review of Housebuilding Delivery.
Code for Sustainable Homes (video)

Single national standard for the design and construction of new homes in England

The Code is a standard for key elements of design and construction which affect the sustainability of a new home. It forms the basis for future developments of the Building Regulations in relation to carbon emissions from, and energy use in, homes, therefore offering greater regulatory certainty to developers. As demand from home buyers for a more sustainable product increases, it will offer a tool for developers to differentiate themselves, obtaining a 'star rating' (1-6 stars corresponding to the six levels of the Code) to demonstrate the environmental performance of a new home. It will therefore provide home buyers with valuable information when they are choosing a home.

The Code measures the sustainability of a new home against 9 categories of sustainable design, rating the 'whole home' as a complete package. The Code uses a 1 to 6 star rating system to describe the overall sustainability performance of a new home. The Code sets minimum standards for energy and water use at each level and, in England, replaces the EcoHomes scheme, developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).

The 9 categories are;

• energy and CO2 emissions
• water
• materials
• surface water run-off
• waste
• pollution
• health and well-being
• management
• ecology

Performance targets are proposed for each of the 9 categories, which are above current Building Regulations minimum standards. But these targets are sound best practice, technically feasible, and within the capability of the building industry to supply.

Comparison with Eco-Homes

The Code differs in several important respects:

• it is assessed at the level of the individual dwelling
• it requires mandatory standards to be met for energy, water, materials, waste and surface water run-off, before even Code Level 1 can be achieved
• it demands minimum standards fro energy and water to be met before the higher levels of the Code can be achieved
• it is performed in two stages, with final Code Certification done after a Post Construction Review

The Code has 6 levels:

• Code Level 1 - above Building Regulation standards and similar to BRE's Ecohomes PASS level and the Energy Saving Trust's Good Practice Guide for Energy Efficiency
• Code Level 2 - a similar standard to BRE EcoHomes GOOD level
• Code Level 3 - broadly similar to EcoHomes VERY GOOD and the EST's Best Practice Standard for Energy Efficiency
• Code Level 4 - broadly set at current exemplary performance
• Code Level 5 - based on exemplary performance with high standards of energy and water efficiency
• Code Level 6 - aspirational standard based on zero carbon emissions for the dwelling and high performance across all environmental areas

Formal assessment of dwellings against Code requirements can only be carried out by using licensed Code Assessors, who are trained, registered and licensed by the Building Research Establishment.

Code Assessment- from voluntary to mandatory

Since April 2007 the developer of any new home in England has been able to choose to be assessed against the Code. On 23 July 2007 Communities and Local Government (CLG) published a consultation document on proposals to make rating against the Code for Sustainable Homes mandatory. This consultation document follows on from the positive response received to Building a Greener Future: Towards Zero Carbon Development, where we asked if rating against the Code should be mandatory. This consultation document explores this in more detail and seeks views on:

• making a rating against the Code mandatory for new homes;
• the connection between the Code and Energy Performance Certificates;
• using Home Information Packs (HIPs) as the mechanism for making the Code rating available to prospective buyers ;
• when we should update the Code;
• the future content of the Code,
• including introducing minimum standards for Lifetime Homes.

The future of the Code for Sustainable Homes - Making a rating mandatory
July 2007 Consultation document
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/Makingaratingmandatory

In November 2007 CLG published a summary of responses to the July 2007 consultation and sets out the Government's final policy. The principle message is that as a result of consultation, the Government will be proceeding with the implementation of mandatory rating against the Code for all new homes. This means that all new homes will have to be assessed against the Code and that assessment is available to the public.

It does not mean that a specific Code Level is a mandatory requirement for all new housing. It is only Housing Corporation funded social housing and housing built through English Partnership on publicly owned land that will be required to meet a mandatory Code Level 3 from April 2008. However this does mean the construction of 40,000 homes annually to Code Level 3 from 2008 onwards

The future of the Code for Sustainable Homes - Making a rating Mandatory: Summary of Responses November 2007
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/sustainablehomes.

Costs of Code Compliance

In February 2007 the CLG published a review of the costs involved in meeting the requirements of the Code. This report is a key reference document which:

• Outlines how the Code works in terms of the 96.3 credit points available for meeting Code requirements split between 9 categories:

1. Energy/ carbon and water-related topics 44.6 points, with mandatory performance standards for each level of the code
2. Other environmental aspects 51.7 points- those with mandatory requirements are surface water run-off, material use and waste management - others are pollution, health and well being, management and ecology

• Sets out the key difference between Ecohomes 2006 and the Code which focuses on the extent to which Code Level 3 is more challenging than Eco-Homes Very Good - a crucial issue given that the combined 40,000 homes per annum programme of these organisations will have to comply with Code Level 3 from April 2008:

1. The minimum performance standards for Code Level 3 require a 25% reduction in carbon emissions in comparison with Building Regulations 2006 Part L, whereas EcoHomes is usually achieved with energy performance at Building regulation Standard; and
2. The potable water consumption per litre per bedspace per day is 126 for Eco-homes Very Good but 105 for Code Level 3.

• Provides a summary of the technical solutions that can be applied to achieve the six different levels of the Code for a range of standard house types - with costs for each of these possible solutions broken down into the components of the Code, both mandatory and other. The additional costs per home of achieving the different levels of the Code (except Level 6) for each house type were calculated and are shown in the diagram below

Additional cost above building regulations of achieving each code level (Scenario 1)

Percentage increase is shown in brackets

Source:
Cost review of the Code for Sustainable Homes: Report for English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation

Code for Sustainable Homes: Technical Guide

The technical guidance manual for the Code is the essential reference document. which was updated in October 2007. It sets out the requirements for the Code, and the process by which a Code assessment is reached.
Code for Sustainable Homes: Technical Guide

The Guide is published as a web only document to facilitate up-dating when standards, technologies and processes change. The DCLG web-site will always include the latest version.

The Guide is structured as follows:

1. The Purpose of the Guide - a summary of the Assessment System
2. Organisations involved in delivering the Code; the role of Code Assessors, the BRE role in certifying Code ratings and the choice of organisations providing assessments (www.breeam.org)
3. The Process of Obtaining a Code Rating: including site registration, determination of Code Dwelling Type, the two-stage assessment (design stage and post construction stage);
4. Scoring: mandatory standards, tradable credits and points available, overall points score and Code Level, and how the points score is converted to a Code Level e.g. Level 1 =36 points, Level 3 57 points level 5 = 84 points and Level 6 = 90 points
5. Environmental weightings: e.g. energy/ CO2 emissions account for 36.4 % of the total

Then for each of the 9 categories, starting with Energy and Carbon Dioxide Emissions, the application of the Code is explained. Under the following headings:

• Aim
• Assessment criteria
• Information required to demonstrate compliance
• Relevant definitions
• Assessment methodology - design and post-construction stages
• Calculation procedures
• Checklists and tables
• Common causes of non-compliance
• Special cases
• Background
• Reference and further information
  
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