Our Responsibilities
About Sustainable Homes
A new national standard for sustainable design and construction of new homes was launched in 2007 by the government. The Code sets minimum standards for energy and water use. 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 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 May 2008 all new homes are required to have a code rating in the Home Information Pack (HIP). In 2006, the government announced a 10 year timetable towards a target that all new homes from 2016 must be built to zero carbon standards, to be achieved through a step by step tightening of the Building Regulations.
The government is keen to ensure that all future homes are sustainable and as well as the Code for Sustainable Homes has introduced the concept of Eco Towns; free standing settlements intending to achieve zero carbon development and more sustainable living using the best new design and architecture.
A ‘sustainable home’ is normally defined as a home which does not damage the environment either during construction or when it is being lived in. This doesn’t just apply to new homes; existing homes can also be made sustainable through measures such as home heating, insulation and renewables.
