Code for Sustainable Homes rating on all new houses from 1 May

All new homes will be measured against the Code for Sustainable Homes from 1 May, the government has announced.

The introduction of the decision to rate homes on their green credentials was made by housing minister Caroline Flint at the EcoBuild conference in London’s Earls Court.

Ms Flint said: "We need to tackle climate change by improving how green and energy efficient our homes are. New build housing will play an important part in this, and we are already committed to all new housing being zero carbon from 2016. These measures are essential in tackling climate change.

"By requiring a rating for all new homes against the Code for Sustainable Homes in the run up to 2016, we are making the standards that different homes reach more transparent and are creating an important incentive for house builders to provide greener, more sustainable homes.

"Providing these ratings will also give buyers valuable information about their home, allowing them to make an informed choice and helping people to reduce their own household carbon emissions."

After 1 May, all new homes will be measured against nine standards for sustainability, including energy, water and waste.

Any homes that exceed the codes in the existing building regulations will be awarded up to six stars, while those not assessed will get a zero rating.

Welcoming today's announcement Paul King of the UK Green Building Council welcomed the announcement, saying: “We still have challenges to overcome to bring sustainable homes genuinely into the mainstream, not least in the existing stock, but this represents a vitally important step.

“The Code for Sustainable Homes will fundamentally change the way we build and buy new homes in this country.

“Buyers of new homes, for the first time, will see how green their home is - not just on its carbon emissions, but on other vital issues such as water consumption and impact on biodiversity. This will help stimulate the market for green building as consumers demand more sustainable homes that have lower energy bills.”

By Steve Menary