BREEAM Version 7, planned to be released later this year, sets new standards for building performance, aligned with global decarbonisation efforts. The comprehensive overhaul has adopted new minimum standards for achieving BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and ‘Outstanding’ ratings, with an emphasis on operational & embodied carbon reduction and wellbeing.

We have summarised some of the key changes below.

We are keen to help you understand the implications these changes will have on your future projects so please let us know if you would like to discuss BREEAM Version 7 with our team.

It may also be an opportunity for you to register any existing projects against the current BREEAM version to shield you from the more onerous requirements and costs of the new standard. We can of course help you with registration and progression of these projects.

Energy and Carbon

Reduced emphasis on the demand metric and more focus on performance outcomes.

New credits that focus on the prediction of a building’s operational energy use and carbon emissions aligned with NABERS.

Change to EV charging requirements that require a minimum allocation of 10% of parking spaces for EV charging stations and installing cable routes for 20% of parking spaces is required.

A new credit related to flexible demand response that recognises installed electrical building systems which have the capability to automatically modify their electricity consumption patterns in response to signals from the electricity supplier there by supporting grid stability and reducing peak energy use.

A new credit that requires installed controls that enable building servicing systems to respond more efficiently to the demand for energy services.

Ecology and Pollution

New requirements promoting sustainable site selection practices and updates that include new benchmarks to align with English Biodiversity Net Gain law.

New prerequisite that mandates all refrigerant gases have zero ozone depletion potential.

Water

A new credit that requires projects to predict water consumption based on expected occupancy rather than standard occupancy.

Projects can earn up to two standard credits and two exemplary credits for accurately predicting water use, setting targets for in-use water consumption, and committing to measuring actual water use post-occupancy.