From 1st May, all new homes are required to be assessed under the code for sustainable homes and given a star rating of levels one to six. The ratings will be included in home information packs (HIPs) in another government push towards zero carbon housing by 2016.

Housing minister Caroline Flint has said that bringing out mandatory ratings, government is "making the standards that different homes reach more transparent, creating an important incentive for house builders to provide greener, more sustainable homes."

The code for sustainable homes uses nine categories, including energy, water and waste to determine how green a home really is. Code assessments apply to those homes being designed and built from April 2008, specifically when the house builder is at the stage of submitting a building notice, a full plans application or an initial notice for the purpose of building regulations.

The house builder has two choice: building to the code which requires a code assessor in order to obtain a code certificate giving the star rating the home has achieved or building to current Building Regulations standards and downloading a free nil-rated certificate of non-assessment which will be passed on to the home buyer.

But with the threat of a nil-rating, with all developers feel compelled to build more sustainably? "The assessments won't change the way houses are built but going for the code will" Mitchell says. "If you're building a house to code level three, you may have to take different measures in terms of water conservation, for example".

One developer that is building to code level three as standard is United House, which operates across London and the south east. Environmental manager Tom Whatling explains. "Some house builders won't go for the assessments at first but in reality, as consumers become more aware of the code, they will have to follow suit. If they don't, this is going to effect in their marketplace".

The government may also decide to push the objective forward in the not too distant future, Whatling predicts: "Initial implementation takes time but in six months to a year, the government might announce that nil-ratings are being scrapped. But once house builders see the benefits of the assessments, they will want to have them done."

The government's plan is to have new homes emitting 25% less carbon by 2010 in line with code level three, so those wary of the changes have a little time to adjust. Chris Coates hopes that house builders do not opt for "nil" but he can appreciate why some might choose to: "Giving a rating is likely to be of no benefit to shareholders."

So does the industry feel ready and properly informed about the change? "We're geared up and know about the assessments, and we are not overly concerned about the implications", says Whatling. "Most of the industry is aware of what's going on and it's a great chance to demonstrate that we can perform".

"the demand for code assessors will grow significantly, following confirmation that codes will be mandatory" Matt Ferguson (STROMA). Stroma has anticipated the increased demand for qualified energy assessors and already offers several courses for the assessment of domestic, commercial and public buildings.

With the upcoming code assessments, along with energy performance certificates which become mandatory on April 6th, there will also be a cost burden that house builders have to bear. However, many companies are attempting to reduce this by working with Stroma Accreditation to train in-house energy assessors. This will cut down the costs incurred from the new legislation, with the benefits being passed on to house builder and buyer alike.

Overall the industry is broadly supportive of the move towards greener homebuilding and for those house builders already building to the code the ratings are not a huge step. However, there will be high demand for existing energy assessors meaning smaller developers may struggle to compete with the larger companies. Faced with the prospect of a nil-rating certificate, smaller developers may benefit from having in-house assessors to ease this new burden.

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