Code for Sustainable Homes

Code for Sustainable Homes

1.0 - Introduction

1.1 - Background

A lot of damage has been done to the environment due to the production of energy, and with an ever growing population, more and more fossil fuels are consumed to produce and provide this energy to all of these people. The Government has noticed that a massive change needs to be made in order to prevent further damage to our planet. We must stop burning fossil fuels (at least in such quantities as are currently consumed) and rely more upon renewable energy sources to provide us with energy. Using renewable energy sources will reduce our carbon footprint which is affecting our planet's climate as temperatures are increasing (global warming).

Not only do we have the threat of global warming, but fossil fuels are a finite resource and will one day run out. Therefore, we must start using alternative power sources such as renewable energy sources (i.e. wind turbines or solar panels). The Code for Sustainable homes is a document which sets out national standards for new buildings, in which these buildings derive some of their energy from infinite resources or renewable energy sources.

'The aim of the document is to aid in the reduction of the carbon footprint of buildings and to achieve a zero carbon rating for all new homes by 2016. In reducing the damage to the environment by polluting CO2, the Code assists Government to meet both national and international objectives such as the Kyoto Protocol which requires a 20% reduction in CO2 by 2010. The Code is owned by the Communities and Local Government (CLG) department.' (Cracking the Code - How to Achieve Level Three and above, 2008, p.8)

1.2 - The Code for Sustainable Homes

The Code for Sustainable Homes Technical Guide (2010) sets out the different ratings that can be achieved under the Code and explains how exactly each rating can be achieved (ratings go from one star to six stars with a six star property having a zero carbon rating). The Technical Guide (2010) suggests that there are nine code categories each with different weightings being Energy (36.4%), Water (9%), Surface water run-off (2.2%), Materials (7.2%), Waste (6.4%), Pollution (2.8%), Health & well-being (14%), Management (10%) and Site ecology (12%).

Table 1 - Code/EcoHomes Rating Comparison

The weightings of each category refer to a point based system of which 100 points is the maximum allocation. Cracking the Code - How to Achieve Level Three and above (2008, p.10 Table 2) provides a table that shows how many points out of 100 are required to obtain from level three upwards:

Code Levels Total points score out of 100 (equal to or greater than): EcoHomes score equivalent

Level three 57 points Very good

Level four 68 points Excellent

Level five 84 points

Level six 90 points

Page 10 of Cracking the Code (2008) also states that Code level three requires a 25% improvement over Building Regulations 2006 which means that energy efficiency was encouraged for the private sector until the Building Regulations revision in 2010. This allowed for an opportunity in which developers could incorporate new and different systems into their buildings and get used to them for when the change in legislation occurs.

1.3 - Who needs to meet the Code

Cracking the Code (2008, p.8) states that all schemes funded through the Housing Corporation's National Affordable Housing Programme 2008-11 will be in compliance with the Code for Sustainable Homes level three. Also stated is that English Partnerships is also requiring Code level three as a minimum for schemes.

The revision of the Building Regulations 2010 enforces Code level three for private developers. More information is provided throughout this report on the timetables and why there is a difference between the private and housing associations timetables.

2.0 - Key Issues and the Code

2.1 - Breakdown of the Code Categories

As previously stated in Section 1.2 above, there are nine code categories mentioned in the Technical Guide. These nine categories each have their own amount of points, that added together, make the total 100points that a new-build house can achieve. Energy has the most amount of points available and is therefore the most important category out of the nine. Table 2 below shows how many points are allocated to each of the nine individual categories:

Table 2 - Code Categories and the Total Amount of Points Allocated to each

Code Category Total Points

Energy 31

Water 6

Surface water run-off 4

Materials 24

Waste 8

Pollution 4

Health & well-being 12

Management 9

Site Ecology 9

(Code for Sustainable Homes Technical Guide 2010, p.13)

2.2 - Mandatory Levels

Several categories have their own mandatory levels set in which the new-build house must reach the specified targets in order to achieve that Code star rating. If the house fails to reach that target for any of the mandatory levels, then the house can only achieve a rating for which the lowest mandatory level was completed and not higher.

Cracking the Code (2008, p.14 Table 5) shows that Ene1 Dwelling Emission Rate has mandatory levels which must be reached for the Code. These mandatory levels are provided on p.15 Table 6 of the document in which the new-build house must have reached the %improvement of DER (Dwelling Emission Rate) over TER (Target Emission Rate) to achieve the level they are aiming for. If the new-build house achieves 57 points but only has a % improvement of DER over TER of 22%, then the house can only achieve a Code level two rating.

Water follows the same pattern as Energy in the sense that if the appropriate requirements for "Wat 1 Internal Water Use" (Sustainable Homes and RSK Carter Ecological Ltd 2008) have not been met for Code level 3, but have met the requirements for Code level 2, even though the building has acquired 57 points, then only