EcoHomes is a flexible and independently verified environmental assessment method for residential buildings. It considers broad environmental concerns of climate change, resource use and impact on wildlife, and balance of these against the need for a high quality of life, and safe and healthy environment.

The environmental performance is expressed on a scale of ‘Pass’ to ‘Excellent’. It is an easily understood, credible label for new and renovated homes including houses, apartments and sheltered accommodation. EcoHomes assessments can be carried out at the design stage in a way similar to SAP rating.

Benefits of EcoHomes include:

• Demonstrating sustainability credentials to planning authorities to assist a smooth passage through the planning process.
• Demonstrating “green” credentials to investors helps to minimise investment risk and increase the appeal to ethical investors.
• Demonstrating superior environmental design to customers, resulting in:  

- Reduced running costs through greater energy and water efficiency, and reduced maintenance

- Healthy, comfortable and flexible internal environments

- Access to local amenities

- Less dependence on the car

- Allowing developers to be one step ahead of regulation

Assessment process

As the housing sector makes extensive use of standard specifications and house types, the assessment process can be carried out in three stages:

Specification stage: Many issues can be assessed from the general building specification; e.g. types of materials used.

House design stage: For standard house type other issues can be assessed once only for each house type.

Development stage: The assessment of the development is carried out by BRE; these include issues, such as ecological value of the site and transport. 

We can carry out the assessment of the specification and house type design without reference to a specific site and therefore help avoid duplication on different developments.

A trained Battle McCarthy assessor will work in support of the design team to carry out EcoHomes assessments. Our work will concentrate on providing design advice during tender to ensure achievement of EcoHomes ‘Excellent’.

Prashant Kapoor: pkapoor@battlemccarthy.com

• What are  the issues and key options for sustainable architecture?
• What are our engineering design objectives?
• For more tools see: Building Analysis Group