Code For Sustainable Homes - Additional Guidance

Sur 1 Technical Guidance Note

To provide further clarification of the interpretation of the Technical Guide requirements for Surface Water Run-off and to overcome barriers to development where the standards set out are inappropriate, CLG has agreed to the publication of this Technical Guidance Note and its retrospective implementation against current and previous versions of the Code (please note the document details its applicability to each version of the Code). The guidance takes immediate effect and is retrospective. The Technical Guidance Note should be read in conjunction with the relevant Technical Guide for the version of the Code being used. It has been prepared by BRE Global Ltd and CLG with the help of a technical advisory group comprised of representatives from housing developers, consultants, DEFRA and the Environment Agency.

You can download Technical Guidance Note 001 to the right of this page.

Evidence Requirements

BRE Global Ltd has also worked with assessors and key industry representatives who provided input to produce a document that we believe addresses some of the complexity of the evidence requirements which are required within the current Technical Guides issued to date. This guidance document can be used against current and previous versions of the Code. The guidance takes immediate effect and may be used retrospectively if desired. Assessors who have already begun gathering evidence in accordance with the requirements of the versions issued to date are not required to make amendments to the evidence already collated. Assessors may wish to use these new evidence requirements to complete new or in progress assessments.  

You can download Technical Guidance Note 002 to the right of this page.

Assessors should ensure they are familiar with these documents and ensure all other relevant parties involved in projects are also aware.  

Site Inspection Checklists

As part of a number of measures to streamline the Code assessment process, the BRE is happy to announce the publication of a number of site inspection checklists for use in post construction stage assessments registered against the May 2009 version of the Code. Site inspection checklists have been produced for use by assessors in all Issues where site inspection is an evidence option at post construction stage according to the new Supplementary guidance on the Schedule of Evidence Required to Demonstrate Compliance note published the 16th of December 2009 on the BREEAM website. This does not prevent assessors using the checklists to support May 09 assessments completed in accordance with evidence requirements published within the manual itself. Their use is not mandatory but hoped to assist in standardizing and streamlining the site inspection process.

You can download instructions for the use of the checklists to the right of this page. The checklists themselves are available for download at both the licensed assessor and public BREEAM extranet portals, accessed here

Zero Carbon Hub

On the right hand side of this page, you will find a link to the Zero Carbon Hub website which provides background information of the recommendations of the energy efficiency task group, regarding the proposed future changes to the definition of Zero Carbon Homes.