Code for Sustainable Homes – A Way to Secure Resources for Tomorrow

In the present time, it is very often heard about one or the other environmental problem. Major current environmental issues include climate change, pollution, environmental degradation and resource depletion, etc. It is therefore very necessary to make efforts to reduce or prevent the effect of such environmental issues. Environmental engineering services are used as a basis of solving such issues. Sustainability plays a very important role in achieving this goal. So the Code for sustainable homes has been introduced as a way in making sustainable home building practice.

For building a home two factors are primary. One is the construction and the other is the design. These factors affect the sustainability of a new home. The Code for sustainable home will work as a standard for the key elements of design and construction. Code for sustainable homes would be used by designers and builders as a guide to development. Code for sustainable homes will assist home-buyers in making a good choice and it would also help them in contributing towards preserving the resources.

Code for sustainable homes measures the sustainability of a new home. Code for sustainable homes considers various factors while measuring the sustainability of a home. These factors include energy and Co2 emissions, surface water run-off, materials used for construction, waste generated during the construction process, pollution, management of the environmental impacts of the construction and ecology. environmental consultant would assure improved environmental and safety performance. Environmental consultants provide environmental tasks such as dealing with the waste management issues, performing air dispersion and modeling, etc. The Code sets for minimum standards for energy and water at each level. Code for sustainable homes would fulfill our needs as well as preserve the environment.

Code for Sustainable Homes Analyzes Homes Against Nine Different Categories

The U.K. Government in collaboration with the Building Research Establishment (BRE), Construction Industry Research and Information Association and through consultation with a Senior Steering Group, established a code for sustainable homes that gauges a home as a whole package and analyzes its sustainability against nine categories. These categories are:

1. Energy/CO2
2. Water
3. Materials
4. Surface water run-off
5. Waste
6. Pollution
7. Health and well-being
8. Management
9. Ecology

When environmental consultancy wants to measure the sustainability of any home against these standards which are set above the minimum standards for code compliance, it uses 1 to 6 start rating system to establish overall sustainability performance of a new home. According to expert environmental consultant, a code for sustainable homes is established in order to guide building regulations with regards to carbon emissions and energy use. This in turn lends greater regulatory reliability and authenticity for the homebuilding industry. At each level, the code has minimum standards which provides meaningful information to home buyers and offers builders an opportunity to stand out while building new homes.

The levels of energy efficiency for the code are:

Code level 1 – 10%
Code level 2 – 18%
Code level 3 – 25%
Code level 4 – 44%
Code level 5 – 100%
Code level 6 – zero carbon

A professional environmental consultant opines that it is an age in which people have become more conscious of how their way of living has been affecting the health of environment. And, this is precisely the reason, why it is necessary for designers and builders to follow code for sustainable homes. By following this code, they are not only catering to the popular demand of the prospective inhabitants, but they are also contributing seriously to the wider efforts to save the environment from its deteriorating condition.

Code for Sustainable Homes Takes into Consideration Nine Categories

The code for sustainable homes is a code prepared by the Government of U.K. in close working consultation with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA), and through consultation with a Senior Steering Group consisting of Government, industry and NGO representatives.

The major purpose of the code, according to a senior environmental consultant is to measure the sustainability of a home against nine design categories and thereby ensure that carbon emissions are in control and that the environment is not harmed by the elements used either in the design or in the construction process of the home. An experienced environmental consultancy actually visits the site and prepares the report against the nine categories that rate the whole home as a complete package. Those nine design categories are:

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

The code for sustainable homes leverages many things from Eco Homes System developed by Building Research Establishment. Eco Homes are already successful in reducing the impact of affordable housing projects, in particular within the social housing sector. Following are certain ways which are being built upon Eco Homes:

• the code for sustainable homes introduces minimum standards for energy and water efficiency at each and every level. Therefore, developers and designers require high levels of sustainability performance in these areas for achievement of a high code rating
• It also uses a simpler system of awarding points with the removal of complexities
• The code also includes new areas of sustainability design, such as lifetime homes and inclusion of composting facilities

According to the environmental consultancy, if BRE is going to remain there and operate EcoHomes scheme when the standards are in transition phase, the code is more about planning system that focuses on broader issues related to location and aesthetics when it comes to sustainability of the homes.

Code for Sustainable Homes Is Measured Against Nine Major Categories

The code for sustainable homes is voluntary rating system to measure the sustainability of the homes apart from standard housing norms in U.K. Though, these rules are not mandatory, they are of great importance as they decide whether the developers are really interested in abiding by this voluntary rating system. Before introducing, this set of conducts, there was the Government-owned scheme called the Building Research Establishment’s Eco Homes. This was a rating scheme first used in 2000. The rating system involves one to six ratings in order to judge the sustainability of the home. In order to measure this sustainability, professional environmental consultancy or environmental engineers can help the developers design and construct the homes. These six points rating system is set against nine major criteria. Depending upon the compliance with this criteria, the ratings are given to the house. Following are these criteria in detail:

• Energy and CO2 emissions: In this category, it is measured there are standard as to how much energy is  used and what can be the resulting emissions of carbon dioxide. The ratings for code for sustainable homes are decided against whether the criteria has been met or not.
• Water H2O: Whether there is adequate arrangement of water
• Surface Water Run Off: These standards include the consumption of drinking water from the public supply systems or other ground water resources
• Waste: Though there are no compulsory standards set for this category, it stands for the waste as a result of construction process. And, how the domestic waste can be recycled
• Ecology: The ratings have been given taking into consideration what is the impact of the houses on local ecosystem, bio-diversity and land use. Though there are no standards set for this.
• Health and Well-Being: These too are without any standards, but code of sustainable homes give ratings to those houses that care about the effect of the  houses’ design and construction on the dwellers.
• Materials: The ecological impact of construction materials for key construction elements. For these also, there are no minimum standards.
• Pollution: Code for sustainable homes rates the homes according to its pollution emanating from the operation of the dwelling. There are no minimum standards though.
• Management