BREEAM UK New Construction 2018 – BREEAM ‘Excellent’ more achievable?

To date, Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) have appreciated that the mandatory energy requirements of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ acted as a barrier to many schemes being awarded a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. Therefore, LPAs often set planning conditions at a ‘Very Good’ rating with endeavours to ‘Excellent’ for a range of schemes registered under BREEAM 2018.

Going forward, we expect more LPAs to now seek a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. This is because the BRE announced in May 2019 that they will be updating the methodology for the ENE 01 credit following feedback from assessors and energy consultants. The BRE will aim to make the requirements of the credit more proportionate to the design and performance of the building. As a result of this change, this will potentially make it more achievable for projects to achieve the minimum ‘Excellent’ standard within the ENE 01 credit.