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EcoHomes is the house version of the BREEAM scheme. It offers a reliable rating for new or renovated homes, and encompasses houses, apartments and sheltered housing.

EcoHomes is being replaced since April 2007 by the new Code for Sustainable Homes. It will however still apply to some specific schemes, which need to be assessed under EcoHomes as part of planning, Section 106, or Housing Corporation funding requirements.

> BRE informational leaflet on EcoHomes

> EcoHomes 2006 rating prediction checklist

(Acrobat documents .pdf)

EcoHomes Best Practice Criteria

In addition to evaluating the environmental performance of a house, EcoHomes takes into account the need for high living standards as well as a safe and healthy internal environment.

EcoHomes outlines eight groups of best practice criteria against which building designs can be assessed (see below).
Credits are awarded according to the development's extent of compliance with the criteria requirements, and contribute to an overall rating of the site.

EcoHomes Credit Groups
1. Ecology & Land use
2. Energy
3. Health & Well-being
4. Materials
5. Pollution
6. Transport
7. Water

8. Management

EcoHomes Certification
EcoHomes ratings range from Pass, Good, Very Good, to Excellent, and are respectively depicted by one to four sunflowers. After the assessment is completed, the assessor delivers a detailed report and BRE issues an EcoHomes certificate based on the number of awarded credits.

EcoHomes certification can be used as a marketing tool or to comply with housing standards, as is the case for the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships. Many other benefits have been associated with BRE certifications.

How EcoConsulting can Help
In order to achieve the highest possible rating at the lowest capital cost, BRE recommends high involvement of an assessor from the earliest design stage, particularly for the first few EcoHomes projects of a developer.

EcoConsulting offers the following EcoHomes services:
• EcoHomes pre-assessment
• Pre-certification advice

• NHER-certified SAP assessments needed to assess Ene1 (Carbon Dioxide) and

Ene2 (Building Envelope) EcoHomes energy credits
• Holistic approach on integrating best practice and cost-effective solutions into

design
• EcoHomes certification

For more information about conducting an EcoHomes assessment, or on detailed advice on how to achieve the best rating, please contact us.

> BREEAM & EcoHomes In Brief

> BREEAM

9 BREEAM Offices

9 BREEAM Schools

9 BREEAM Retail

9 SBEM / TAS Calculations for BREEAM

> Code for Sustainable Homes

> EcoHomes

9 NHER SAP assessments for EcoHomes

> BRE Certification Benefits

BRE has calculated that an average “EcoHome” house contributes to 2.8 tons of carbon per year, compared with 4.14 tons generated by a standard new home—a reduction of 30%.