Belfast - Code for Sustainable Homes - 0141 894 0107

The office that covers this area is: Glasgow

Phone Number: 0141 894 0107 Email: belfast@e2consultants.co.uk

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

A Code for Sustainable Homes - A Code for Sustainable Homes in Belfast

The A Code for Sustainable Homes in Belfast 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 Belfast 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 Belfast will be instrumental in achieving this target. The key to achieving these carbon reduction targets, for new and existing dwellings in Belfast 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 Belfast .To initiate this; the Government has introduced the new national standards for the use in the design and construction of new homes in Belfast . 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 Belfast 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.

The CSH covers nine categories of sustainable design:

1. Energy and CO2 emissions (M),
2. Water (M),
3. Materials (M),
4. Surface Water Run-off (M),
5. Waste (M),
6. Pollution,
7. Health and Wellbeing (M),
8. Management,
9. Ecology.

Code assessments in Belfast can only be carried out by a qualified and accredited Code Assessor. Assessments are generally a two-stage process: after Pre assessment, with the Design Stage, which leads to an interim certificate. This is followed by the Post Construction Stage, where the final certificate is issued. Evidence has to be collated and used to determine the rating via the number of credits that are awarded for each element. A summary report is submitted by the Code Assessor to the Code Service Provider for quality assurance and certification.

All proposed sites, dwellings and developments requiring an assessment should be registered with the Code Assessors accreditation body as early as possible. A proposed development can only be registered against the current version of the Code. Sites which have been registered in Belfast against a previous version can be re-registered under the current version of the Technical Guide. Each registration is valid only for a maximum of 5 years between the expiry of the Technical Guide version it was submitted against and the submission of the design stage report.

There is no time scale once a project assessment has started on the delivery of the Post Construction Stage report.

If you require free initial advice, consultancy services or a definitive quotation on a A Code for Sustainable Homes assessment in Belfast call one of our Belfast consultants at our Belfast Office on 0141 894 0107 or Email belfast@eliteenergy.org.uk.