Code for Sustainable Homes
Hampshire County Council has responded to the Governments consultation on its proposed Code for Sustainable Homes. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), with the assistance of the Building Research Establishment (BRE), has devised the code with the aim of bringing the various elements of sustainability into one package that can be used to provide home buyers with a ‘sustainability star rating’ for their prospective purchase.
STOP PRESS: The ODPM has announced that following assessment of the Consultation responses, it will strengthen the Code and conduct further research. |
Under the proposed system, new homes would be given a star rating (1 to 5 stars) based on their sustainability in terms of energy and water efficiency, waste management and the use of materials. A single star rating would mean that the home merely meets the current minimum standards, but a 5 star rating would mean that the home meets current best practice in all areas and should effectively be 'carbon neutral'. This is seen as aspirational, however some homes may already be meeting this standard. The Consultation and proposed Code and can be found here
Hampshire County Council’s response to this consultation is positive, but includes a number of suggestions as to how the proposal may be improved.
The main points of Hampshire County Council’s response are as follows:
- voluntary vs mandatory - understanding the need to keep regulation to a minimum, however, there should be an option for Local Government to use Local Development Frameworks or Supplementary Planning Guidance to require the use of the code for new built homes. It is noted that the speed of change in the industry will be limited by employing a voluntary code.
- That the current and proposed disparity between public and private sector developers (public sector developers only will be required to use the code) be investigated with a view to closing the gap, and encouraging private sector developers to use the code.
- The proposed essential elements of energy efficiency, water efficiency, surface water management, site waste management, household waste management and use of materials appear to provide holistic coverage of requirements for more sustainable built development.
- The proposal that in addition to the six essential elements, there are an additional number of optional elements is not unreasonable and allows flexibility in determining locally specific solutions. However safeguards must be included so that it does not allow a highly rated 'sustainable' home to be developed by employing a raft of measures in one specific element, at the expense of more holistic improvement across the board.
- The star rating concept seems reasonable but the demarcation between ratings should be clear and meaningful.
- A suggested method for employment in determining the 'value' of the various star ratings, could simply be the expected payback both in terms of finance and carbon savings. Thus a one star dwelling may provide limited savings, whilst a two star, for example, may be expected to provide a 5% increase in efficiency and reduction in bills, a three star, 7% and so on. The longer-term value for money of the investment should then be more meaningful.
- The financial and legal services sector should be encouraged to expand market opportunities to support different finance vehicles to enable the purchase of such homes.
Please click here to view the full Hampshire County Council response.
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