Achieving low carbon buildings using Code for Sustainable Homes in the UK

Abstract

This paper describes the methodological approach for development, application and analysis of findings from an interactive user-friendly Sustainability Appraisal Toolkit (SAT) developed to facilitate the assessment of the energy and carbon impact and financial viability of achieving higher levels of the Code for Sustainable Homes. SAT runs on MS-Excel and is used to evaluate the technical feasibility of achieving Code levels 4, 5 and 6 for a representative sample of newly built dwellings in UK for different scales of development. A range of strategies are evaluated on both demand and supply sides of energy to meet different code levels. The research emphasizes the importance of maximizing energy efficiency improvements to the fabric and form of a dwelling, before adding low/zero carbon systems, and promotes a 'low-energy first and then low-carbon' approach. © The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press.