Scottish building regs require a "statement of sustainability" to be attached to a house:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/resource/buildingstandards/2013Domestic/chunks/ch08s02.html

Just had my building warrant application knocked back, as one does, including a question of what level I'm aiming for on this. Anybody know what the consequences of just saying "Bronze" or "Bronze Active" would be?

Gary, thanks - that's about what I thought. To be honest, the certification wouldn't matter come the time to sell the house - it's sufficiently odd that whoever buys it would understand exactly what they were getting into irrespective of any bits of paper.

(I have a SAP report which I'm told is sufficient though I don't pretend to understand it.)

Indeed, my eyes glazed over a bit reading the Silver requirements which just aren't appropriate to a rural live/work property designed for a single person or a couple. The acoustic standards, for example, simply don't matter - even if I started letting off hand grenades inside the house I doubt if anybody else would hear.

I think I'll go for "Bronze Active" and see what happens.

Posted By: GaryBThe acoustic standards BTW are between rooms.

Yep, I realize that - I was being somewhat tongue in cheek. Still, they're less applicable when the house is not designed for a family.

<rant>Actually, I'm quite sensitive on the noise front - it was part of the reason I moved out of a flat in Reading and noisy neighbours made my life miserable for a while in my semi in High Wycombe (though by the time I left the new couple next door were very quiet and were sorry to hear I was going because I was quiet, too). Still, getting quiet is a contributing factor to my wanting to live somewhere detached. Very irritating that so many of the housing standards are set up on the assumption of families when so many live alone or part of childless couples - who are supposed to live in pokey little flats or pay bedroom tax or whatever even if they work at home and need a bit of space.</rant>