03 - Energy - BREEAM Knowledge Base

Combined sub-metering – electric space / water heating and small power - KBCN00068

For bedrooms and associated spaces in:

Multi-residential or residential institution building types (New Construction).
Hospitality or supportive housing asset types (BREEAM In-Use).

It is acceptable for an electric space or water heating system to be combined with lighting and small power, provided that sub-metering is provided for each floor plate or other appropriate sub-division. For these asset types, sub-metering electric heating in multiple bedrooms may be costly and technically challenging. Where occupants have individual control but are not responsible for paying the utility bills, the building manager may have little influence on their energy consumption. Therefore, sub-metering electric heating would provide little or no benefit in meeting the aim of the issue.

06-Mar-2024 - Scheme applicability extended to V6. 
15-Dec-2023 - Title updated to clarify that this approach can be applied to both space heating and domestic hot water heating, where appropriate.

Erratum – up to V6 – checklist A5 – lighting - KBCN1629

Item 1 of Checklist A5 states:

This is incorrect. The requirements should be:

Non-day lit areas with intermittent occupancy must have occupancy controls.
Day-lit areas must have daylight detection controls.
The controls conform to either ASHRAE 90.4 or California Energy Code.

Escalators or moving walks – variable speed drive - KBCN1621

The requirements refer to 'a load sensing device that synchronizes motor output to passenger demand through a variable speed drive'. The intent is that the inverter must operate full-time to moderate output based on passenger demand.

Internationally approved Ene 01 calculation software - KBCN1177

The following calculation software are approved internationally and can be used, provided local weather files are available in the country of the assessment. Please make sure the approved version, in brackets, is used. If you wish to use a different one, please submit a technical query to [email protected] providing details of the changes.

IES VE (all versions from 2014 onwards).
Design Builder (version 4 onwards).
TRNSYS (version 17 onwards).
eQUEST (versions 3.63b and 3.64 onwards).
Energy Plus (version 3 and version 6 onwards).
EDSL Tas (v9.5.0 onwards).

Any software that has been approved on the ASWL for a particular country can be used in other countries, provided relevant weather files are available.

26-Mar-2024 - Scheme applicability updated.
08-Aug-2022 - Applicability to BREEAM Communities 2012 confirmed.
30-Jun-2023 - Added note relating to software approved for a particular country.

Night-time operation – requirement for controls - KBCN1048

Projects or areas of an asset which operate at night-time can adapt or omit the requirement to provide controls or presence detection to align with the building’s hours of operation. This could, for example, include service yards or car parks. The aim of this Issue is to reduce the energy use for external lighting and should not interfere with the building’s operation.

02 Oct 2024 - Updated to clarify the scope of the this guidance and applied to NC V6 and BIU.

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.

Prediction of operational energy consumption – alternative route to Excellent minimum standard - KBCN1336

Where four credits for ‘Prediction of operational energy consumption’ are achieved, the minimum standard for Excellent in Ene 01 can be met. This is independent of meeting any minimum credit score in the issue to achieve the Excellent minimum standard. See KBCN1602. Substantial improvement To meet this minimum standard, the asset must show a substantial improvement in operational energy performance, following the ’Prediction of operational energy consumption’ criteria. This 'substantial improvement' is defined as achieving 4 credits using amended metrics generated using the dynamic simulation modelling and following the Option 1 approach. Amended definitions Performance is calculated based on amended definitions of an actual and a reference building: Amended actual building:

Actual fabric.
Expected actual occupancy.
Actual building servicing systems.

Amended reference building:

Notional fabric.
Expected actual occupancy.
Reference building servicing systems*.

*The reference building servicing system may be replaced with a gas boiler as the heat generation source. Where the performance improvement over the amended notional building does not achieve 4 credits, the BREEAM Excellent standard may still be met. Robust evidence must be provided showing that this level of performance improvement is not possible, based on constraints outside of the control of the project team.

26-Jun-2023 - Content updated to apply to International schemes. Title and wording clarified. Text on manual errata in NC 2018 3.0 moved to new KBCN.
14-Jun-2023 - Note added to confirm this is integrated into the platform for UKNC V6.1 in all countries. 
24-Aug-2022 - Content updated and applied to UKNC V6
19-Aug-2019 - Clarification for UKNC 2018 3.0.

Presence detection – illuminated signs - KBCN1671

The requirements for presence detection do not apply to illuminated signs. In BIU V6, presence detection requirements are included as part of automatic energy saving controls. All other requirements in this criteria must still be met.

Single functional area and no tenanted areas – operational energy monitoring - KBCN00056

Where the building has a single functional or tenanted area for sub-metering, with no other significant energy uses that must be separately metered, then:

The sub-metering of functional and tenanted areas credit can be awarded by default if,
The sub-metering by end use credit is achieved.

26-Mar-2024 - Wording clarified. Scheme applicability updated.

New Construction / International / V6 /

03 - Energy