03 - Energy - BREEAM Knowledge Base

Ene 24 methodology - KBCN1613

This issue is scored based on % improvement relative to the BIU V6 carbon benchmark and average annual improvement across the reporting periods. [accordion] [accordion_block title="BIU V6 carbon benchmark"] Standard CO2 emissions: the tailored benchmark of a UK asset. Climate adjusted CO2 emissions: the benchmark for International assets. It adjusts the UK benchmark to account for national and regional differences. Net CO2: the actual CO2 emissions of the asset. Annual reduction in CO2 emissions: the annual average % figure used to score credits in Ene 24. [/accordion_block] [/accordion] Example scenario An international BIU asset calculates the improvement in CO2 emissions across 2 reporting periods.

CO2 emissions benchmark = 50 kgCO2e/m2 per year.
01-Jan-2020 to 31-Dec-2020. CO2e emissions are 90 kgCO2e/m2 per year (1.8x the benchmark).
01-Jan-2023 to 31-Dec-2023. CO2e emissions are 60 kgCO2e/m2 per year (1.2x the benchmark).
Time between reporting periods: 3.0 years.

Calculation

Improvement over 3 years = 1.8 - 1.2 = 0.6x improvement vs benchmark.
0.6 = 60%
60% / 3.0 years = 20%

The asset demonstrates a 20% average annual improvement vs the benchmark. It scores 3 exemplary credits. How the calculation accounts for different reporting periods Most assessments will report on multiple fuels in each period.

Individual reporting periods for fuels may not align.
Reporting periods may not begin or end at the same time each year.

[accordion] [accordion_block title = "Calculating time between reporting periods"] Time between reporting periods is measured in days (this is converted to years in the final calculation). Time is measured from the middle of each reporting period. If more than one fuel is reported, the individual mid-dates for each fuel are combined through a weighting calculation. The mid-date is proportionally weighted towards fuels with larger associated CO2 emissions.

[/accordion_block] [accordion_block title = "Maximum time between reporting periods"] The maximum time between any reporting period is 1460 days (3 years 364 days) between:

The first recorded consumption data in the 1st period, and
The first recorded consumption data in the 2nd period.

These dates are not weighted by fuel consumption.

[/accordion_block] [/accordion] Additional notes

Erratum - Criterion 1. Assets where the 1st period was assessed under BIU 2015 must re-enter this consumption data into the BIU V6 Ene 24 calculator. This ensures a consistent calculation methodology for all BIU V6 assets.
The baseline for measuring improvement (1st period performance vs benchmark) are actual asset emissions, not the benchmark. Asset CO2e emissions can exceed the benchmark in both the 1st and 2nd periods to target credits in this issue.
The manual states that 3 years are required between periods (as this links to the BIU V6 certification cycle), however this is not a requirement for compliance. Assets can also target this issue where less than 3 years have passed (for instance after a mid-cycle certification). The calculator will adjust for the shorter gap between reporting periods.

Energy Consumption Reporting – common areas only assessment - KBCN1698

For assets where only the common areas are being assessed, the energy consumption targets and actual figures reported should be based on the energy within the assessed areas only. Please note that where the asset does not have consumption data which covers the assessment area only, the BREEAM In-Use International Energy Allocation Calculator should be used when completing the Management Performance Energy Category.

Energy consumption reporting – Link to Man 04 - KBCN1612

The link to meeting compliance with Man 04, outlined in Ene 23 Criterion 1 is incorrect and should be disregarded. Answer option D in Man 04 includes targets for Energy, Water and Waste. Whereas the intent of Ene 23 relates to targets for Energy only. This will be updated in the next reissue of the technical manual.

LZC – Local regulations and private wire arrangements - KBCN1658

Where local regulations do not permit electricity generated by on-site renewables to be connected directly to the building, and where evidence of the relevant regulations is provided at QA, the requirement for a private wire arrangement can be waived.

On-site LZC – whole site shared connection - KBCN1424

To be recognised in BREEAM, the on-site Low and Zero Carbon (LZC) technology must have a direct physical connection to the assessed asset. OR Where the LZC technology is;

Located on the same site,
Is owned and managed by the same organization as the assessed building, and
Where it is impractical to physically connect the assessed building to the system,

It is acceptable to allocate the renewable energy generated proportionally as a calculation of the asset's predicted energy consumption compared to the total energy consumption of the whole site. To allocate renewable electricity by proportional consumption:

Obtain the total annual renewable electricity generated on-site.
Exclude all renewable electricity which has been exported to the grid.
Determine the respective electricity consumption of all assets on the whole site (predicted for new builds and measured for existing assets).

Where consumption data is missing, renewable electricity must not be allocated to the assessed asset. In this case, it is assumed that all electricity consumed is sourced from the grid.

17-Jan-2024 - Applicability BIU V6 Ene 13 removed, as this approach is not applicable to assessing the area of PV fitted.
21-Dec-2022 - Applicability to In-Use V6 confirmed.
24-Aug-2022 - Applicability to UKNC V6 confirmed.

Operational energy and water use during Covid-19 lockdown - KBCN1425

As we continue to adapt to and assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BREEAM team is seeking to ensure that the data underpinning BREEAM in Use certification accurately reflect typical operational performance. We appreciate that the full or partial lockdown conditions related to the pandemic may have had a significant impact on the performance of the asset particularly the operational energy and water consumption. We trust our assessors to use their professional judgement to determine the extent that operational energy and water consumption has been impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions. They must ensure that submitted consumption data is representative of consumption under normal conditions. Clients should work with their assessors if they are unsure how they should proceed. Assets are likely to have been affected by many different local lockdown scenarios so one approach to reporting consumption data is unlikely to apply to all situations. For example, normal consumption data is likely to be sufficient for assets that have only had a minor changes to their operations (e.g. two weeks), if the rest of the 12 month period has been unaffected. For assets that been more significantly affected (e.g. several months of reduced occupancy), it is likely that energy and water consumption data will need to be taken from a period of time before local lockdown restrictions came into force. In this scenario, the following approach can be used:

The consumption reported must cover the 12 months prior to the restrictions coming into force. The reported consumption would need to be validated against the year prior to the reporting period to provide assurance to the Assessor that it was in line with typical operations. Additional evidence and verification will be required for submission. The following sections should help clarify how this should work:

Normal BREEAM requirements

Consumption Reporting:

12 months prior to submission, validated against the evidence requirements

Evidence requirements:

Bills or other third-party evidence to support the consumption data reported for this period.

New requirements for this KBCN

Consumption Reporting:

12 months prior to the lockdown period validated against the 12-month period prior to the reporting period to confirm usage as “typical”

Evidence requirements:

Bills or other third-party evidence to support the consumption data reported for this period
Bills or other third-party evidence to support the consumption data in the validation period
A description of the changes that took place to the property’s operations due to COVID-19 and provide evidence of the circumstances

Example for a building submitting for certification in October 2020 subject to lockdown from March 2020:

Normal reporting period October 2019 – September 2020

Adjusted reporting period in line with this KBCN March 2019 – February 2020 Validation period: March 2018 – February 2019

This KBCN will remain in place but will be under review as we continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 and amend requirements as circumstances change. We will keep assessor informed of BREEAM In-Use users and assessors via further service announcements and other communication channels.