Construction Products Association 'disappointed' with Code for Sustainable Homes

The Construction Products Association (CPA) has expressed its disappointment that the Code for Sustainable Homes, launched yesterday by Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly, does not give more recognition to manufacturers and suppliers who have developed sustainable building materials.

The Association's chief executive Michael Ankers said the way in which the Code allocates points for sustainable materials offered very little encouragement for manufacturers with less sustainable products to improve their products.

"As a result it could lead to very energy and water efficient new homes being built using materials with high environmental impact. It is important when the Code is reviewed it takes account of the emerging European Standards in this area and provides real incentives and rewards for manufacturers and suppliers who take these issues seriously," he said.

And Ankers reminded the government that it risked missing out on 'big wins' in terms of carbon savings on existing housing stock, which he claimed is four times less energy efficient that housing built to the latest building regulations.

He urged the government to do more to tackle the energy efficiency of existing housing, saying: "We have been disappointed that the government has so far not done more to incentivise householders to make their homes more energy efficient in the way that is happening in Germany."

The Code, which is designed to complement the system of Energy Performance Certificates being introduced in June 2007, will use a sustainability rating system, ranking the overall sustainability performance of a home from one star to six. One is the entry level - above the level of building regulations, and six is the highest level.

And it went some way to clearing up confusion over what the government meant by 'zero carbon' homes, after Gordon Brown announced in his Pre-Budget Report that homes of this kind would be exempt from stamp duty: they will have to produce zero net emissions from all energy use in the home, and will equate to six stars for energy use in the Code's rating system.