A number of construction sector sustainability strategies have been - or are due to be - published. They aim to develop a common understanding and control of the issues and present clear, effective and targetted approaches for each sector to contribute to achieving a more sustainable construction industry.
Specific tools are now available to designers, clients, specifiers and developers to help achieve Government strategy for housing and commercial buildings;
- Whole Life Costing (WLC)
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)
- EcoHomes (domestic version of BREEAM)
Benfield ATT can help achieve an Excellent rating for all of the above, if incorporated into the design and planning stages. More specifically, we are mostly contacted about helping achieve 'Eco-Homes' Excellent ratings, due to our FSC Certification. EcoHomes is a tool that allows the owners, users and designers of buildings to review and improve environmental performance throughout the life of a building.
It is a widely accepted and respected scheme that sets a benchmark for environmental performance and provides a wide range of benefits. It is independent and authoritative, being based on many years of construction and environmental research carried out at BRE (Building Research Establishment) together with the input and experience of the construction and property industries, Government and building regulators.
Most wood products - from timber frame systems to joinery - can help designers improve their EcoHomes ratings. There are many ways of scoring EcoHomes credits. As you can see from the chart below, Benfield ATT are an ideal partner for all EcoHomes developments.
For an approximate estimation of how your development will score, and to see the level of information required by an assessor, complete the BRE EcoHomes Rating Prediction Checklist by going through the points and marking those achieved . You are likely to overestimate your building's performance due to the simplification of the weighting system used in the checklist. It should be noted that assessors require documentary evidence to support the awarding of credits in the scheme (ie FSC Chain of Custody certificates, Invoices etc).
The final EcoHomes score is awarded on the basis of the percentage of points achieved, as described in the predication checklist, is out of a total of 192 points. This only provides a rough estimate and must not be compared to the credits that an assessor will give the development, however it will give you an indication of what your score might be. To compare your answer with the scores on the table below, use the following formula to assess your ratings and score:
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number of points achieved / 192 x 100
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Rating
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Score
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PASS
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36
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GOOD
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48
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VERY GOOD
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60
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EXCELLENT
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70
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Benfield ATT can help meet Eco-Homes 'excellent' rating for...
Materials
- MAT 1 - Basic Building Elements - Maximum Credits (6/6) for 75% or more FSC-Certified Timber Frame.
- MAT 4 - Environmental Impact of Materials - We can help contribute to receiving 'A' Ratings (11/11) for the roof, external walls, internal walls and windows, if required and specified.
Transport
- TRA 4 - Teleworking - Maximum Credits (2/2) for the provision of space and services for a home office, of a timber stud wall construction. If you haven't incorporated this into the architectural design, don't worry. Our high-specification Garden Home Office kits start at £4,995 (+ VAT and Delivery) and - as long as the office is situated in the grounds of the house - this still helps meet Maximum Credits.
Energy
- ENE 2 - Energy: Building Fabric - Designed to increase the energy-efficiency of the dwellings over their lifetime, Benfield ATT can work with you to incorporate relevant factory-fitted insulation, achieving a U-Value less than 0.08. Potentially Maximum Credits (5/5).
Contact us today for more information on Benfield ATT FSC-Certified Timber Frame for your project.
