DIY code compliance

Legislation such as the Climate Change Act, which demands an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and the Fuel Poverty Bill, which aims to eradicate fuel poverty by 2016, is putting increasing pressure on the government to improve the energy performance of the built environment, currently responsible for 40% of UK carbon emissions. The introduction of energy and sustainability standards is the key to tackling this challenge.

One such standard is the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), which provides a comprehensive assessment method for measuring and improving the sustainability and energy efficiency of new homes. This is crucial if the government is to meet its ambitious targets, since housing currently accounts for 27% of UK carbon emissions and it is estimated that 30% of the housing stock of 2050 is yet to be built.

The social housing sector is leading the adoption of this legislation; currently all publicly-funded housing must achieve level 3 of the CSH. However, there are plans to increase the requirement for social housing to level 4 in 2010 and to level 6 (zero-carbon) by 2013.

It is therefore essential that social housing providers are familiar with both the sustainability standards and the design and construction methods necessary to meet them. One practical and cost-effective approach is to build up a team of in-house CSH experts and assessors to assist throughout the construction process to ensure that target standards are achieved.

Stroma Certification is one of only two organisations in the UK licensed to provide CSH training and certification. The two courses available - CSH Assessor Training and Designer Awareness - are intended for the prospective assessor and the construction professional respectively, to provide the necessary levels of awareness throughout the assessment process, from pre-assessment evaluation to post-construction certification.

Once qualified, assessors can join Stroma's certification scheme to benefit from a technical support helpline; free approved calculation software (developed by Stroma's in-house technical team) and an efficient report auditing service, with a turnaround of two weeks from receipt.

For further information, call 0845 621 11 11 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Alternatively, visit www.stroma.com for full details of Stroma's service offering.