The Code for Sustainable Homes - a national standard for the sustainable design and construction of new build housing

A Code for Sustainable Homes assessment is now required for the majority of new build housing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is usually required to satisfy funding or Local Authority sustainability policies. The code introduces minimum standards for energy and water efficiency based on a simple system of awarded credits. Part of this policy introduces the requirement for all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016.**

**Source of information: Code for Sustainable Homes 2006 Zero carbon hub 2016 timeline available at www.zerocarbonhub.org

At Polypipe we have focused our development resources on providing piping solutions to enable the utilisation of building technologies aimed at the reduction of CO2 emissions and redirection of energy usage - Carbon Efficient Solutions and the effective management of water - Water Management Solutions. Both are key categories in achieving the necessary standards under the Code.

Polypipe Water Management Solutions

Surface water management and reduced water consumption are just two of the nine areas addressed by the Code, nevertheless they are two of the most critical.

Polypipe provides bespoke, cost effective solutions to help enable code compliance.

1. Re-use - Single dwelling Polypipe Rainstream water re-use systems provide an effective and economical alternative to mains water in a variety of applications around the home, cutting household consumption by as much as 50% and achieving level 5-6 in WAT 1 of the Code for Sustainable Homes at a stroke.

2. Re-use - Multiple dwelling In larger developments, such as social housing projects, individual dwellings can be linked to a single Rainstream tank in a manifold supply arrangement, providing for the non-potable water needs of multiple households and reducing overall installation costs.

3. Re-use and combined attenuation Water re-use systems can play their own part in wider SUDS schemes, reducing flood level risk during storms by capturing run-off from paved areas. Where rainfall regularly exceeds the capacity of a Rainstream tank, it can be linked to a cellular SUDS product to form an integrated attenuation system.

4. Adoptable attenuation and soft SUDS systems Providing a bespoke, fully accessible, below ground solution allowing the land above to be utilised. Ridgistorm-XL when linked with Storm-X4 advanced filtration system improves the quality of surface water entering the receiving water course aiding compliance with the Water Framework Directive.

Polypipe stormwater management solutions offer project planners the means to reduce flood risk in new residential developments with a range of SUDS products

As demand for housing grows and more and more countryside is given over to residential development, the amount of surface water running off paved areas and roads increases. The Code for Sustainable Homes aims to make run-off from all new developments at least equal to its predevelopment rates. Polypipe's product and system solutions to help you achieve this include:

Polystorm

Light weight modular cells providing an efficient and sustainable method of collecting and storing large volumes of water prior to soakaway or release into drains or sewers.

Rainstream

A complete water storage and filtration system to collect rainfall run-off for re-use in gardens, washing machines, dishwashers and WCs.

Ridgistorm-XL

Large diameter pipes for adoptable drainage or storage offering strength and flexibility under the heaviest loads. Polypipe also manufacture attenuation products for the controlled release of water from SUDS systems into watercourses and a range of water treatment solutions to help reduce surface and groundwater pollution in accordance with UK and EU laws and directives.