The 1st of September is rapidly approaching - and from that day all new-build houses in Wales will need to conform to stricter building regulations designed to cut carbon emissions and save energy. The legislation, which was announced by the Welsh Assembly last year, and will make the principality's regulations greener than those of England - has been implemented in stages, with developments of five or more homes needing to meet the new tighter legislation from 1 September last year. From 1 September 2010 all new homes, including self-builds and small scale developments, will need to reach Level 3 of The Code for Sustainable Homes. As yet renovations and refurbishments to existing homes will not have to comply.

Although the green building community see the move as a step forward, not everyone feels the same. Gareth Hooper, an associate partner in the Cardiff office of planning consultancy DPP said: “The property market in Wales remains particularly fragile and this step to increase the environmental credentials of new homes in Wales has been widely criticised as political one-upmanship on Westminster and likely to further slow down the delivery of much needed new homes.

“These requirements will add considerably to the level of detail required at the planning application stage. This will have a time and cost implication for developers in preparing applications, which has seen a raft of applications being made before 1st September to avoid the requirements. The requirements of meeting Code Level 3 will also result in an increase in the cost of the construction. Developers will want to pass on these costs, but there seems little appetite amongst house-buyers to pay extra for them. However, the legislation is in place and developers who wish to build just one new home must embrace the new regime.

“In practice this means developers and self-builders will need to consider the environmental requirements of the Code from the outset, incorporating measures in to the design. They will also need to undertake a pre-assessment of the proposals ahead of any planning application to ensure that can achieve the strict requirements of Code Level 3. Once the building is complete, the builder/developer must then be able to demonstrate that they have met the requirements before the house can be occupied.”

CSH level 3 at normal UK standard requires all residential developments to be at least 25% more efficient than those built to comply with 2006 Building Regulation standards, with the Welsh Sustainable Building regulations requiring a 31% improvement.

In order to comply builders will need to consider improving thermal efficiency of walls, windows and roof; reducing air permeability and installing heat recovery ventilation; installing a high efficiency condensing boiler; designing the fabric of homes to reduce heat loss between inner and outer walls; possible use of community heating schemes for larger developments, and carbon reducing renewable energy technologies such as solar panels.

Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes also requires homes to use no more than 105 litres of water per person per day by use of special taps and showers, smaller bath tubs and restrictions on water usage in dishwashers and washing machines.

The regulations also address outside surface water management, suggesting soakaways and porous paving. Developers must also give consideration to providing space for drying clothing removing the need for tumble-dryers, providing more energy efficient lighting, providing storage space for bicycles, and providing a room that could easily be used as a home office.

A spokeswoman from the Green Building magazine commented - "This is a small step in terms of overall emissions targets, but no doubt to the construction industry it looks intimidatingly large. Nevertheless CSH level 3 has been the minimum standard for new social housing for several years now, with level 4 or above the ideal, so there are plenty of schemes which provide a benchmark out there. Those who eventually live in these houses may have to pay slightly more initially, but they will save in the long term through much reduced fuel bills, and a healthier lifestyle".