MPSL can provide Code for Sustainable Homes assessment (CSH) and sustainable design services.

The practice recognises the drive for sustainability within the construction industry and strives to keep abreast of the latest advances in sustainable methods of construction and technologies.

As a result of our architectural background and experience of residential design we can advise on the most cost effective means of attaining CSH compliance and can ensure the requirements of the code are efficiently incorporated within the project drawings and specification.

MPSL can also carry out Lifetime Homes and Homes and Communities 'Housing Quality Indicators' assessments and associated drawing integration. We can also arrange and manage SAP calculations to ensure the calculations are carried out in line with the CSH requirements ensuring the resulting building specification is the most cost effective for the given application.

Please contact Kevin Nelson to discuss any Code for Sustainable Homes or sustainable design services you may require.

A brief overview of the Code for Sustainable Homes is provided below, however should you have any questions or would like to meet to discuss the implications of the Code further please do not hesitate to contact us.

The Code for Sustainable Homes is an environmental assessment method for rating and certifying the performance of new homes, and comprises a set of environmental standards designed to improve the overall sustainability of new homes.

The Code was introduced in England in April 2007 and replaces the 'Ecohomes' assessment method to act as a single national standard which enables the home building industry to design and construct homes to higher environmental standards.

It also offers a tool for developers to differentiate themselves within the market and gives new homebuyers information about the environmental impact of their new home and its potential running costs.

The Code provides a comprehensive assessment of the sustainability of a new home by measuring its overall sustainability against nine categories of sustainable design. The design categories are as follows:

Once the dwellings performance has been assessed against these categories it is awarded a star rating, from one to six stars, to communicate the overall sustainability performance of the home. This rating is then recorded on a certificate which is assigned to the dwelling and forms part of the home information pack.

It became a mandatory requirement for all new housing to have a code rating in April 2008; however this does not mean that all new housing has to have an actual Code assessment carried out. The Code assessment remains voluntary for all new built housing which is privately funded, although these homes will require a nil-rated certificate indicating that the home has not been assessed against the code.

A code assessment is required for all new social housing, and at present a code level 3 rating must be achieved. This includes any homes built with Housing Corporation funding, such as those built by registered social landlords (RSL’s), together with homes developed by English Partnerships or with direct funding support from the department’s housing growth programmes.

Local authority planning authorities are also increasingly specifying that new developments achieve a specific code level as part of there local development plan.