International bodies that rate the carbon emissions from buildings are to develop joint rating tools.
The UK's BREEAM, LEED from the USA and Australia's Green Star have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop common metrics to assess the carbon emissions from new homes and buildings.
While each will continue operating its own rating system, the organisations have formed a working group that will develop rating tools that will provide consistency in the measuring and reporting.
Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, said that at the moment, the way buildings are constructed and operated accounts for almost half of all CO2 emissions.
He added: "Rating tools like BREEAM, LEED and Green Star have a proven track record in driving significant improvements in performance, and I'm delighted they are now coming together to help create an international language."
All new homes in the UK will have to be zero carbon by 2016, while the government aims for all homes, including the existing stock, to be near zero carbon by 2050.
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