Building standards for new build development
The Code for Sustainable Homes is as a national sustainability standard for the design and construction of new homes.
Minimum recommended standards
These are detailed in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) 08 Sustainable Building Design. For new build development, the following is recommended:
| Small (1) | Medium (2) | Major (3) | Greenfield (4) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | Level 3 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 |
| Non-residential | Energy and water use reduction | BREEAM Good | BREEAM Very Good | BREEAM Excellent |
| Energy and water credits | 50% | 60% | 70% |
- New residential and/or mixed-use developments with 2 or fewer residential units; or retail of 150 sq m or less; or any other development of 235 sq m or less.
- New residential and/or mixed-use developments numbering 3 to 9 residential units; or retail between 151 and 999 sq m; or any other development between 236 and 999 sq m.
- New residential and/or mixed-use with 10 or more residential units; or any other over 1,000 sqm or being developed on a site of 0.5ha or more.
- Land or site that has not previously been developed, including garden land.
Code for Sustainable Homes
The Code for Sustainable Homes is a national sustainability standard for the design and construction of new homes. It scores each dwelling within a scale from Level 1 (the lowest) to Level 6 (the highest, achieving Zero Carbon status).
The Code measures the sustainability of a new home against 9 categories of sustainable design, rating the 'whole home' as a complete package. It covers:
- energy/CO2
- water
- materials
- surface water runoff (flooding and flood prevention)
- waste
- pollution
- health and wellbeing
- management
- ecology
It sets minimum standards for energy and water use at each level, replacing the EcoHomes scheme developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).
Lists of accredited and licensed code assessors are available from the BRE.
General guidance
Case studies on Code certified levels 3 to 6
- Communities and Local Government case studies 2009
- Communities and Local Government case studies 2010
BREEAM
BREEAM Buildings can be used to assess the environmental performance of any type of building (new and existing). Standard versions exist for common building types, and less common building types can be assessed against tailored criteria under the Bespoke BREEAM version.
BREEAM pages on the BRE website give further information on all aspects of BREEAM assessments, including a facility to identify certified and licensed assessors.
When appointing an assessor, ensure they are aware that the scheme will be required to achieve certain scores within the energy and water sections of BREEAM.
Other standards
In some cases, other standards will be accepted in place of the Code or BREEAM, so long as these reach an equivalent standard and are assessed and certified. One such standard might be Passivhaus, considered equivalent to Code Level 4.