C Knowledge Sharing

29 Construction Energy Use & 30 Construction Water Use – Weekly reporting - KBCN1387

03 Detailed monitoring and reporting crit 3 Conduct the monitoring and reporting of data in crit 2 on a weekly basis. The reason to ask for data recorded on a weekly basis, is to collect much more granular data which can be potentially overlaid with the project plan. By undertaking this it would enable the construction team to better understand the most energy intensive processes which could be targeted with energy efficiency measures.

29 Construction Energy Use & 30 Construction Water Use -Methodology - KBCN1386

Criterion 3 in both of the above categories states that the meter reading and reporting should be done on a weekly basis however, in step 2 of the Water monitoring and reporting methodology it states:- “Check the frequency of monitoring the contractor wishes to maintain throughout the project to ascertain eligibility for crit 3 above.” What this means, is that whichever frequency of monitoring and reporting the contractor wishes to do for the duration of the project, to be eligible for crit 3, they have to be made aware that weekly monitoring and reporting is required to obtain crit 3 credits. This will be required to be shown as evidence.

Aftercare Support fees - KBCN0991

To comply with the remote or on-site support criteria, there needs to be a guarantee that the support will definitely be available to occupants of the assessed home, which means it cannot be an optional feature that could be opted out of. This is to ensure credits are only awarded for homes that will have the level of support required, in practice. If the support is provided as part of the development’s management fees, the costs of the support being provided needs to be communicated to occupants in a transparent way (e.g. via an itemised summary of the fees). This is to ensure occupants know what support is available and what they are paying for.

Aligning with other relevant requirements - KBCN1320

If existing solutions conflict with requirements for the Aftercare criteria but it is believed that the criteria intent is being met, please contact BRE Global for consideration.

Appropriately qualified professional – multiple people - KBCN0864

The appropriately qualified professional role can be fulfilled by more than one person, for the purposes of the Quality Control criteria in the Quality Improvement assessment issue. The main intention of these credits is to ensure the outcomes outlined in the criteria are fulfilled by an appropriate person throughout the project. It is recognised that this will often require input from multiple people given the range of responsibilities and the competencies outlined in the appropriately qualified professional definition.

Appropriately Qualified Professional and BREEAM Accredited Professional - KBCN0852

A BREEAM AP does not automatically meet all aspects of the 'appropriately qualified professional' role defined under the Quality improvement issue. HQM assessors are currently the only people recognised as fulfilling the HQM knowledge and experience aspect of the ‘appropriately qualified professional’ role, for the purposes of this issue. However, this role can be fulfilled by more than one person. The main intention of these credits is to ensure the outcomes outlined in the criteria are fulfilled by an appropriate person throughout the project. It is recognised that this will often require input from multiple people given the range of responsibilities and the competencies outlined in the appropriately qualified professional definition.

BREEAM AP and BREEAM assessor – conflict of interest - KBCN0196

An individual can be appointed as a BREEAM/HQM Assessor and BREEAM AP/Sustainability Champion for the same project, where the Assessor also holds current and applicable AP/Sustainability Champion credentials. If this route is chosen, it must be made clear when submitting the assessment that both roles are being carried out by the same person and confirmed how potential conflicts of interest are identified and managed. This will mean, when appropriate, that the assessment can be escalated to a more detailed level of quality assurance checking.

Build to rent projects – Building warranty - KBCN1558

For build to rent projects, latent defects insurance can be used to meet crit 1.

Building warranty for developer managed homes - KBCN0673

The mandatory requirement for a compliant building warranty is still applicable where the developer is responsible for managing the home after construction, even if they have their own internal processes for assuring support to the occupants. Although internal processes may be in place to protect the occupant, there is limited guarantee that this protection will be in place for the duration of time that a recognised warranty lasts for (e.g. if the development is sold). Warranties from providers that comply with the Consumer Code for Home Builders or the Trading Standards Institute, benefit from a minimum level of occupant protection and support that is assured by independent third parties. This level of support is fundamental to the credibility of HQM assessed homes. If a specific scenario is present that cannot meet this requirement or provides the same (or better) level of support, please submit a technical query with documentary evidence for further review.

Commissioning certificates – evidence - KBCN1311

Certificates demonstrating compliance with any relevant standards are acceptable for the commissioning criteria, where they cover all the systems referred to in the criteria (hot water, heating, ventilation etc.) and any relevant commissioning best practice guidance has been complied with. The ‘commissioning best practice guidance’ outlines how to carry out commissioning for various different systems that may be present. Some of the guidance is more appropriate for complex systems and often won’t be relevant. The person or persons carrying out the commissioning activities is expected to be familiar enough with the standards referenced, to determine the ones that are relevant to the systems they are commissioning.

Contractor not yet appointed at the design stage - KBCN000002

Where the contractor has not been engaged at the design stage certification, it is acceptable to award the credits based on a commitment. This commitment must be from a suitable member of the design team, and must detail the targets and criteria which must be met. Evidence must also confirm that the details in the commitment will form part of the contractual requirements. Note: This does not apply to the requirement for a pre-demolition/pre-refurbishment audit, which must be undertaken at Concept Design Stage.

12 Jul 2022 - Note added to clarify the scope of this guidance

Evidence for ’04 Detailed monitoring and reporting’ at design stage - KBCN1232

The evidence requirements associated with ‘04 Detailed monitoring and reporting’ for Design Stage in both the 'Construction Water and Energy Use' are incorrectly formatted and should appear in the Post-Construction Stage column. For design stage evidence requirements, please refer to KBCN1231 'Design Stage evidence requirements when a contractor has not been appointed'

Home information – certificate after occupant moves in - KBCN1281

The HQM scorecard and certificate are required as part of home information when occupants have moved in to make them aware of HQM and how it adds value for them and their home.

If the HQM certificate will not be issued when occupants are due to move in, confirmation should be included as part of the Home information, which says that HQM certification has been targeted and the certificate will be issued separately, subject to successful approval by the certification body, BRE Global. The information should also cover general information about HQM including a link to the website and who they should contact (e.g. the home builder) for information or updates on this.

If a design stage certificate has been issued for the home, this should also be provided and made clear that this is a provisional rating.

Other smart controls - KBCN1317

Where other forms of home controls are present that are not listed in the additional smart solutions criteria, please contact BRE for consideration. Due to the innovative nature of smart home systems, the examples provided are by no means a full list of all of the types of controls that are, and will be, available.

Portable display device - KBCN1310

A portable display device provided as part of a smart meter can contribute to the basic starter solutions criteria, if the following is met:

It is connected to the assessed home
Occupants are informed that the portable device need to be kept in a primary room in order to record a representative internal temperature for the whole home.
Occupants are informed that the device will not work if they tried to use it in a new property if they moved and instead, they can ask their energy supplier for a replacement that will work in their new home.

The occupant may be informed of the above as part of home information and handover demonstrations. A primary room is considered as any of the following: main lounge, living room, study, home office, main bedroom or TV room.

Post occupancy evaluation commitments as design stage evidence - KBCN1288

A letter of commitment for POE commitments is an acceptable form of evidence at design stage. Firmer commitments including contracts are only required at post-construction stage.

Post occupancy evaluation sampling - KBCN0908

Where a post occupancy evaluation (POE) is being carried out for multiple units, not every dwelling needs to be directly monitored, in order to pursue credits, as long as they are significantly represented as part of the study. The following points can be used as guidance to help determine if a POE is suitable:

Credits can only be pursued for homes where occupant feedback is being requested from that specific home.
It should be demonstrated that there is a clear, thought through approach being taken, including the reasons why any monitoring is taking place, what the aim of the study is and how the results will be used to contribute to future learning.
Clear justifications should be given for the chosen sampling approach, including quantity and type of homes being included, relative to the aim of the study.
For POE methods other than occupant satisfaction feedback, credits can be pursued for homes that are significantly represented by comparable dwellings in the sample. For example, where a reasonable number of homes of the same house type and on the same site, are part of the monitoring sample.
Determining an appropriate POE method will also be informed by the appropriately qualified professional’s judgement and the licensed assessor's discretion, to ensure the purpose of this issue is being met. i.e. to evaluate performance in-use and contribute to future learning to help reduce the performance gap.

If it is unclear if a specific POE method complies with the criteria and the above guidance, please send specific details of the POE approach, to the technical team for consideration.

Solid concrete washout - KBCN00063

Solid concrete washout waste should be included in the waste resource efficiency benchmarks.

Submitting aftercare & post occupancy evaluation data - KBCN0589

Where credits have been awarded which require post-occupancy evaluation or an element of aftercare data collection (according to scheme requirements) from the building once operational and occupied, the data gathering must take place at the specified time and the findings reported to BRE. The timing of this evidence gathering depends on the criteria of the BREEAM scheme having been undertaken. However, for all schemes, once the evidence is due for submission, it should be sent to [email protected] with the following title; 'BREEAM Assessment Type Building Data BREEAM Assessment Reference' For example, a BREEAM 2011 New Construction assessment would use the following title when submitting their evidence; 'BREEAM NC 2011 Building Data BREEAM-1234-5678'

This KBCN replaces KBCN0695 for HQM.

Thermographic survey – Seasonal constraints - KBCN00031

Where seasonal constraints prevent the thermographic survey from being completed prior to certification at the post construction stage, the requirements can be satisfied with:

Evidence that a Suitably Qualified Professional (SQP) has been contractually appointed
Written confirmation by the SQP that the seasonal constraints prevent the survey at an appropriate time before certification
The survey is scheduled to take place at the earliest opportunity after the handover, and
There is a specific contractual agreement in place to remedy any identified defects before the defects liability period expires.

Thermographic surveys are designed to map the thermal efficiency of buildings and to detect areas where there are breaches in the thermal envelope. Surveys need to be conducted when temperature differences between the external areas of the building and surrounding air can be detected after the envelope is sealed. There may will be instances where the survey cannot be done before certification after the envelope is sealed and as such, the survey would take place after certification.

Training courses that provide competencies to be considered an AQP - KBCN1294

We are not aware of any specific training courses that provide all the necessary competencies to be considered an AQP but they may come from a combination of sources:

industry training courses.
Industry-recognised methodologies
Specific research skills. For example, someone who has worked as a social researcher or has a degree or masters involving research methods.
Consultancies or specialist organisations who provide POEs as a specific service

Warranties covered by alternative consumer codes - KBCN1289

Alternative consumers codes to the ones referred to in the Aftercare issue are acceptable if they are approved by the Trading Standards Institute, such as the Consumer Code for New Homes and the Consumer Code for Home Builders. If you are unsure if a warranty or consumer code is acceptable for the purposes of HQM, please raise a technical query.

Home Quality Mark / HQM beta /