Birmingham - CSH - 0121 381 0129

The counties covered by this office are:
Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, West Midlands, Northamptonshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire,

Phone Number: 0121 381 0129 Email: birmingham@e2consultants.co.uk

Sustainable Homes is sometimes referred to as Code For Sustainable Homes, C4SH - Code For Sustainable Homes, Code Assessments, Sustainable Homes, Code For Sustainable Homes.

A CSH - A CSH in Birmingham

The A CSH in Birmingham is the environmental assessment method for rating and certifying the performance of new homes; it is also known in Wales as part of the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme. In England it was launched in December 2006, by, the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG and became operational in April 2007 as the new national standard for sustainable design and construction of new homes. Since the 1st of May 2008 the developer of any new home in Birmingham a must have a mandatory rating against the Code.

The Code measures the 'whole home' as a complete package, assessing its sustainability against nine categories

The UK Government has committed to a reduction in carbon emissions of 80% by the year 2050. Improvement of all the new and existing housing stock in Birmingham will be instrumental in achieving this target. The key to achieving these carbon reduction targets, for new and existing dwellings in Birmingham is by being more energy efficient. By having a Code Assessment, a level of reduction can be established.

The whole construction and house building industry must start building more sustainable properties in Birmingham .To initiate this; the Government has introduced the new national standards for the use in the design and construction of new homes in Birmingham . The Code Assessment for Sustainable Homes or the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) is the means of assessment.

It is a compulsory requirement for every new dwelling in England to achieve a rating or score against the Code assessment (C4SH). Information on this rating is to be made available to all potential buyers through a (HIP) Home Information Pack. This indicates whether the home has been built to a specific level of the Code, and if so, which one.

The Code assessment measures the 'whole home' sustainability of a new dwelling in Birmingham against the nine categories of sustainable design; this produces a rating of the 'whole home' as a complete package. Each category is then further divided into further components which are individually assessed against a performance target and awarded the relevant credits for achievement.

It is a compulsory requirement for all new dwellings in England to have undertaken a Code assessment .This Information on the Code rating must be made available to potential purchasers via the Home Information Pack (HIP).The Code rating will state at what level the home has been built to.

Code Assessments (C4SH) have a rating system from one (1) to six (6) stars to show the overall sustainability performance of a new dwelling. One is the lowest rating and six the highest. A six star rated home is also classed as being zero carbon. Code assessments in Birmingham set a minimum requirement for energy and water usage at different levels of the Code.

Code is measured by a weighted scoring system over 9 specific categories, this, when scored defines which code level the dwelling has reached.

Code at level six, is an aspirational standard which requires zero carbon emissions to be produced from the dwelling. Codes definition of a zero carbon home is a dwelling where the net carbon dioxide emissions resulting from ALL the energy used in the dwelling is at zero or better.

The proposed site, property or development should be registered with the accreditation body via the assessor as early as possible. It is only possible to register developments against the current version of the Code. However sites registered in Birmingham under a previous version can be re-registered under the current version of the Technical Guide. The registration is valid for a maximum of 5 years between the expiry of the Technical Guide version and submission of the design stage report.

Code for Sustainable Home Assessments within Birmingham can be produced only by an accredited and qualified Code Assessors. A Code assessment usually starts with a pre assessment followed with the Design Stage assessment - where an interim certificate is issued. This is followed by the Post Construction Stage, which includes the final certificate. Evidence is submitted and collected and used to determine the number of credits that can be awarded to the development A summary report is submitted to Code Service Provider via the assessor for the purpose of quality assurance and final certification.

If you require free initial advice, (C4SH) consultancy or a quotation for a Code Assessment in Birmingham please call our Birmingham consultants at the Birmingham Office on 0121 381 0129 or Email birmingham@eliteenergy.org.uk