A respected rating system for new homes is the BRE developed EcoHomes rating. This needs to be carried out by a licensed assessor, but a pre-assessment checklist is available from BRE. which you can use yourself to judge the likely rating of a particular home. The UK government are currently muddling through the introduction of HIPs (Home Information Packs), which will place a big emphasis on energy efficiency in the form of an Energy Performance Certificate. Check out what’s in a pack.

There is lots more good stuff about Home Information Packs at Explore Home Information Packs.

As a homebuyer, you will just need to ask for the pack from the seller or estate agent. As a seller, there will be a number of ways to produce a pack, including doing it yourself. The pack contains information such as searches, so you will probably still need input from solicitors and other professionals for aspects like searches.