The past few years have seen the building and construction industry have to take on, understand and act in accordance with a series of government regulations, codes and targets, all designed to help minimise the impact on the environment. Potentially the most demanding of these is the, for now voluntary, Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH). The Code was introduced in December 2006 to aid the development of sustainable design and structure of new homes and has been positioned as a progressive scheme that will serve to benefit the industry, its customers and ultimately, the environment.  It will measure the sustainability of a home against design categories, rating the whole home as a complete package. The categories that are included are: energy, CO2, water, materials, surface water run-off, waste, pollution, health and well-being, management and ecology.

The CSH is based around a sustainability rating system indicated by stars to show the overall sustainability performance of a home. A home can achieve a rating from one to six stars, depending upon the extent to which it has achieved the Code standards. Minimum standards apply to certain areas of the CSH which must be achieved in order to obtain a one star rating and minimum energy and water efficiency standards apply at every level of the code.  The code is assessed by accredited independent assessors and will be transparent and rigorous.

The CSH is set to benefit the environment, home builders, social housing providers and consumers alike. The code aims to benefit the environment through reducing greenhouse emissions, allowing better adaption to climate change and by reducing the impact of the housing industry on global warming as a whole. It will provide builders with a mark of quality for sustainable homes, regulatory certainty that they are creating energy efficient homes and flexibility as to how homes are built in order to become sustainable. Social Housing Providers will have lower running costs, improved comfort and satisfaction, as well as raised sustainability credentials. Consumers will be given greater choice, a reduced environmental footprint, lower running costs and improved well-being.

The guide has been laid out in six easily digestible sections, following the course of a standard build. These chart the work through from Foundations and Groundwork to Bricks and Blocks, Roofing, The First Fix (including plumbing and timber sourcing), The Second Fix (which includes internal systems such as boilers and central heating pumps and controls) and finally on to Landscaping.

The Build – Preparation

Construction Site Management Building sites are busy, noisy, messy places which traditionally create a lot of waste. Code assessors will be looking to reward good practice in reducing these nuisances and environmental impacts. The Code recognises that there can be a difference between commitment and implementation, so points are available for both. To get full points you or your building contractor will need:
• A site waste management plan with resource efficiency monitoring procedures and targets for each build stage, as well as commitments and procedures to sort, re-use and recycle waste
• Certification of practices with a good score under the Considerate Contractors Scheme or similar.
• Working site procedures for the prevention of pollution, the monitoring of CO2 emissions and the monitoring and targeting of water use on site
For the successful implementation everyone on site will need to be aware of your environmental procedures. The waste management plan is a minimum requirement if the construction value is over £200K.

Stage 1 – Foundations & Groundwork

Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater Harvesting can be a cost effective way of incorporating sustainability into the fabric of a new construction project. Many sites now have restrictions on the volume of water run-off. The incorporation of Rainwater Harvesting can assist by greatly reducing the volume of water going to waste from new developments. Rainwater Harvesting can reduce domestic mains water consumption by up to 50% and up to 85% on commercial installations. The payback period can be as quick as three years on buildings with large roofs and a high non-potable water demand.

Stormwater Management
Stormwater run-off that isn’t properly managed can flow over impervious surfaces, picking up pollutants along the way and washing them into rivers and streams. Stormwater run-off can also cause flooding and erosion, destroy habitats and contribute to combined sewer overflows (CSOs).

Ground floor insulation
Ground floors can offer excellent thermal performance by including high levels of insulation without dramatically altering the building shape or geometry. Floor insulation is of particular importance if installing under floor heating.

Stage 2 – Bricks & Blocks

Wall insulation
There are many areas of domestic and commercial buildings that can be insulated to significantly reduce energy consumption, especially when combined with draught proofing, energy saving glazing and floor insulation.  The benefits of this are: • Heating costs are reduced, saving customers money • Significantly reduces CO2 emissions Wall insulation can be in the form of cavity wall insulation, solid wall insulation, external wall insulation or internal wall insulation.

Sound proofing
Acoustics are an important aspect of sustainability to maintain a pleasant and comfortable place to live. There are a number of products that improve the acoustics of a property both internally and externally and can reduce the likelihood of noise complaints from neighbours.

Bricks
Clay brick, has a long service life, is re-usable upon demolition and is completely inert. Clay can be recycled back into manufacture so wastage is minimal. Clay is taken mostly from quarries adjacent to the factories, often in the countryside, where the impact of transport is minimised. Clay brick also has high thermal mass and low conductivity, contributing to the building’s own efficiency.

Double-glazed windows
Up to 20% of heat in a building is lost through poor insulation in the window frames or through single glazed windows. Double glazing windows create an insulating barrier that reduces heat loss, noise and condensation.

Blocks
The cellular structure of aircrete products ensures they offer excellent thermal insulation, so helping reduce the energy consumption of buildings, while also providing enhanced noise insulation between dwellings.

Stage 3 – Roofing

Rainwater Harvesting
By connecting roof drainage to water butts, rainwater that would otherwise go down the drain or into the ground can be collected and re-used.

Solar water heating
Solar panels or collectors fitted to the roof use heat collected from the sun to heat water. This technology is well developed with options to suit many applications.

Natural lighting
Natural light is an important aspect of any living environment and can help make a house fell like a real home. It has a highly positive effect on both physical and mental wellbeing and can even help to reduce heating costs.

Roofing insulation
Pitched roofs can be insulated to create either warm or cold roof spaces. This is the lowest cost option for insulating a roof and uses low cost, readily available glass wool quilt insulation.

Stage 4 – The First Fix

Underfloor heating
A system of pipes under the floor is used to heat rooms in both domestic and commercial properties. The benefits of undefloor heating are:
• Uses lower water temperatures which reduces energy consumption by up to 40%
• The low temperature suits heat pump systems
• Provides invisible heating
• Produces evenly distributed radiant heat which heats objects rather than the air and results in greater comfort
• Less heat is lost
• Low maintenance

Internal wall insulation
Insulation/plasterboard laminates or wooden battens in-filled with insulation or flexible linings to a total thickness of up to 90mm is fitted to internal walls. This is cheaper than external wall insulation and could save between £95 and £300 a year on householder’s, resident’s or landlord’s energy bill, depending on the type used.

Stage 5 –The Second Fix

High efficiency condensing boilers
A high efficiency condensing boiler works by recovering waste heat which is normally rejected to the atmosphere from the flue of a conventional (non-condensing boiler). The best high efficiency condensing boilers convert more than 90% of their fuel into heat, compared to 78% for conventional types.

Biomass boilers
Stoves or boilers are used to heat rooms or water by burning biomass – waste organic materials directly from plants or indirect from industrial, commercial and agricultural products. It is a carbon neutral process as the CO2 released is balanced by that absorbed during the fuels’ production.

Central heating controls
If a property has only a simple mechanical thermostat installed, it will not reap the benefits of a replacement high-efficiency condensing boiler as it will be rarely running in condensing mode.

Stage 6 – Landscaping

Surface water drainage
Rainfall patterns are changing, resulting in longer dry spells and the depletion of natural watercourses. This, compounded by shorter, heavier bursts of rainfall, results in heavy volumes of water collecting over short periods of time. Using surface water drainage products in conjunction with the stormwater management systems featured in the Foundations & Groundwork section will ensure the control of rainwater run-off from impermeable areas.

Composting
Developers who provide home composting facilities in houses with gardens suitable for normal domestic non-woody garden, food and other compostable househols wastes will be awarded points under category 5.

Fence Panels
Providing even partially private outside space to a home is seen to add improved health and well being.

For more information on the Code for Sustainable Homes visit:
www.communities.gov.uk
www.planningportal.gov.uk
www.nhbc.builder.co.uk

To find out more or find your nearest branch visit:
www.travisperkins.co.uk

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