10 Things You Need to Know About BREEAM 2018

It was only a couple of weeks ago that BRE released the full details of BREEAM New Construction 2018. It’s already replaced the previous 2014 version, so if you have a new site that needs BREEAM registration, you will be working to the new 2018 requirements.

Here are ten things you need to know about the new BREEAM:

1.

BREEAM New Construction 2018 went live on March 23rd 2018, which means all new registrations need to be under this revised scheme. BRE may give allowances if you have a specific planning condition or contract that specifies the use of the older version, but that is at their discretion.

2.

There is a new, third stage to BREEAM. The Post Occupancy Stage is a voluntary step where you can earn up to seven credits by monitoring the building’s energy and water use over the first two years of occupation, and tracking this data against the expected performance of the building during the design stage. This is the first time BREEAM has extended into the first years of a building’s use.

3.

Because of the introduction of the Post Occupancy Stage, the amount of energy credits available from the EPC and SBEM scores have been reduced to nine, with additional exemplary credits available for achieving zero carbon or carbon negativity on site.

4.

The Considerate Constructor’s Scheme has been replaced by a checklist of 19 requirements covering similar items. To earn a MAN03 credit, you need to tick off the first nine sections of the checklist (which covers monitoring air and light pollution, site training, safe site access etc). A second credit is available if you meet 16 of the 19 requirements.

5.

Another scheme that’s vanished from the BREEAM manual is the Green Guide Rating. This has been replaced with BRE’s own Life Cycle Assessment Tool. Alternatively, a more detailed Impact assessment can be carried out to claim the MAT01 credits.

6.

Credits for controlling storm water on site have been made more difficult to achieve. Previously you could earn a credit for ensuring surface water run off was no worse because of the development. You now need to show a 30% improvement.

7.

The Land Use and Ecology section has been rewritten – the most noticeable change is that the mandatory credit for using an ecologist has been removed, although more credits are available if you do make use of a suitably qualified ecologist. There are still some unknowns in this section, with a separate Ecological Risk Evaluation Checklist still to be published. Four of the five LE sections are now designed like stepping stones… you need at least one credit in a section before you can move onto the next.

8.

More emphasis has been placed on air quality, with credits available for monitoring it during construction and after completion. Separate credits are available if the heating system meets NOx pollution targets (or particle pollution targets in the case of biomass boilers).

9.

The Transport section of BREEAM has had an overhaul. There are now just two sections (previously there were five), although the amount of credits hasn’t changed. There’s less emphasis on nearby amenities, and instead there is more focus on how occupiers of the building can sustainably get to local amenities. Developers can earn credits if they include charging points for electric cars, and give priority spaces for carshare schemes.

10.

Extra work is required to claim the MAN04 credit – the Building User Guide. The building occupiers now need to be provided two versions of the BUG. One technical version for the Facilities Manager, and one simplified version for a typical building user. Training plans teaching how to use the building efficiently should also be separated into a technical and simplified framework.

Overall, the new BREEAM doesn’t bring with it substantial changes, but features enough tweaks and updates to trip up unaware developers. Contact Energist’s BREEAM team for more information on the new scheme.