There are many different organisations around the world who offer green building accreditations.
These are independent rating systems that measure the building’s “green” credentials against closely defined criteria.
The mains ones are Breeam (UK), Leed (USA), DGNB (Germany) and CASBEE (Japan).
In Spain we use the Spanish version of the Green Building Council which is the American body that supervises the LEED system.
The ratings mean that buildings can be easily compared by:
1. Their energy running costs
2. How comfortable / healthy they are to live in
3. Their environmental impact
The ratings represent an easily recognised standard which is available to consumers and suppliers of buildings which help them make better decisions.
LEED Assessment Categories are:
1. Sustainable Sites
2. Water Efficiency
3. Energy and Atmosphere
4. Materials and Resources
5. Indoor Environmental Quality
The Code For Sustainable Homes
The code for sustainable homes is the British government sponsored standard for the sustainable design and construction of new homes.
It uses a 1 to 6 star system to rate the overall sustainability performance of a new home against 9 assessment categories.
A Zero Carbon Home
This is a home where the net carbon emissions resulting from all energy used in the home is zero: heating cooling, hot water, lighting cooking and all electrical appliances.
European Community Legislation
EC directive 2009: All buildings built after 31 December 2018 will have to produce as much energy as they consume on-site.
Author: John Wolfendale
Bio: John is a founder of Eco Vida and is passionate about bringing modern design and construction practices to Spain. He believes a home which is warm in winter and cool in summer is largely a matter of design and selective use of materials. He is British and a Chartered Surveyor with 19 years experience living and working in Spain.
