Code For Sustainable Homes (CfSH)

Evans Jones LLP Architectural Division is now fully accredited to provide full Code for Sustainable Homes Assessments (CfSH).

From 1st May 2008 it has been mandatory for all new homes to have a Code rating.

At present, in England open market housing (where no planning condition dictates otherwise) must apply as a minmum for a Code Level 0 rating. Code Level 0 is equivalent to a Building Regulation pass.

In contrast, in Wales all housing schemes of 5 or more dwellings must achieve Code Level 3, however, from the 1st September 2010 every new house constructed in Wales must meet Code Level 3 as a minimum standard.

In practice we are seeing Local Authorities impose via planning condition a requirement for Code Level 3 or higher on new housing schemes notwithstanding the fact that at present the legal requirement is only for Code 0 upon open market housing.

Within the Social Housing Sector it is a requirement of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) that all houses and flats must achieve Code 3. This was scheduled to increase to Code Level 4 in April 2010, although the increased Code Level has not yet been formally announced. Many Housing Associations are now already requiring code level 4 as a minimum standard.

We have considerable experience working with outside consultants providing Code Assessments and from what we have experienced we have found that many assessors take a simplistic compliance driven approach rather than considering the most economic or commercially viable solution for the developer.

At Evans Jones we identified an opportunity to put to use the 38 years experience we have gained in the housing sector to couple this with our own Code for Sustainable Homes Assessor so we are able to advise developers on the most cost effective means of achieving the required Code Level.

To facilitate this we developed our own pre-assessment computer programme which enables us to quickly identify a range of measures which will need to be incorporated into new houses or flats to achieve a given Code Level.

This has proved a very useful tool when advising landowners, housing associations, self builders and tendering contractors, upon the production of tenders where the requirement for Code compliance is incorporated within the tender documents.

In such circumstances it would be an unnecessary and wasteful use of resources for each tendering contractor to undertake a full Code Assessment, however, equally tendering contractors must know with as much certainty as possible what measures they need to incorporate into the buildings and indeed what costs such measures will add to the tender.

Nick Gwilliam, Head of Evans Jones Architecture comments ”With developers and tendering contractors we identified a requirement to provide clear, concise and timely guidance as to the measures required to meet a specific Code Level. The computer programme we have developed enables us to sit down with a developer and identify the most economic means of compliance which is suited to that development.“

The Code for Sustainable Homes will become an increasingly important consideration for anyone building houses in the UK, whether these are single units or large development sites.

Whilst the requirement to comply with the Code is currently sporadic within the open market housing sector in England, it is only a matter of time before Code Level 3 or higher becomes a mandatory requirement for all new housing nationwide.

Nick comments ”As part of the Governments sustainability objectives and meeting the objectives of zero carbon homes by 2016, like it or not the Government have little choice but to impose through statutory regulations increasing levels of Code compliance up to Code Level 6 by 2016.

All those involved in new housing have a massive challenge ahead if the Government are not going to have slippage upon their zero carbon targets. Any developer who does not grasp the importance of understanding the Code will quickly find that they are incapable of meeting the rigorous standards and regulations imposed.“

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