The Code for Sustainable Homes is a new tool to assess the environmental performance of new-build homes. It enables housing developers from the public and private sectors to measure and improve the design specification and construction quality of schemes against a unified nationally recognised rating, providing impetus for a stepchange in sustainable home building practice.

This guide can help housing associations and developers to kick-start the process of attaining Code ratings, and complements the formal Code for Sustainable Homes Technical Guidance.