04 - Water - BREEAM Knowledge Base

Apportioning Water Consumption – common areas only assessment - KBCN1679

For assets where only the common areas are being assessed, the water consumption targets and actual figures reported should be based on the water used within the assessed areas only. Therefore, where metering is provided for the whole building consumption and no separate metering of common areas is available, a logical assessment of the sanitary (and other) water use and distribution should be carried out so that the figures are based on an accurate estimation of water usage within the common areas. Apportioning must not be based purely on the percentage of floor area. A logical assessment could be based, for example, on the percentage of water using equipment installed, such as the proportion of toilets/taps/dishwashers etc within the scope of the assessment against those outside of the scope. Justification and calculations should be provided within the evidence to support the reported figures.

Erratum – [BIU V6.0.0 Wat 14] – Incorrect evidence requirements - KBCN1695

The criterion 3 evidence requirement, "evidence of monitoring data" is incorrect and invalid. Assessments should not try to meet this requirement. Criterion 3 requires the water strategy to have senior management approval. This has no relation to monitoring water consumption, which is already addressed in Wat 13 Water consumption reporting. This error will be addressed in future updates.

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.

Using water from natural underground sources to offset water consumption - KBCN00094

Water from natural underground sources (for instance aquifer water accessed via boreholes) cannot be used to offset:

NC / RFO: potable water consumption.
IU: utility supplied water consumption.

A significant amount of water used for public consumption is already drawn from aquifers. Private boreholes may be drawing water from the same sources as public utility companies.

27-Mar-2024 - Title and text updated to broaden definition. Scheme applicability updated.

Water consumption reporting – Link to Man 04 - KBCN1611

The link to meeting compliance with Man 04, outlined in Wat 13 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 Wat 13 relates to targets for Water only. This will be updated in the next reissue of the technical manual.

Water strategy – Replacement and Schedule - KBCN1673

Replacement The intent is that there is a programme in place which identifies any planned refurbishments and confirms that, where relevant, the works will include upgrading high water-consuming fittings and appliances with low water-consuming equivalents. This does not require the systematic replacement of all fittings and appliances. However, it must also include a commitment to upgrading the efficiency of existing fittings and appliances when they reach the end of their service life. Schedule This may include specific fittings and appliances with low water consumption, or it can be based on a performance specification that these must meet, e.g. the flow rate or efficiency rating.