BREEAM credits are the points a building earns for meeting sustainability criteria in BREEAM, the environmental assessment method run by BRE. Credits are grouped into categories such as energy, water and ecology. The share of credits achieved in each category is multiplied by that category’s weighting, the results are added up, and the total percentage sets the rating, from Pass (30% or more) to Outstanding (85% or more).
Key facts
- Ratings (UK New Construction): Pass ≥30%, Good ≥45%, Very Good ≥55%, Excellent ≥70%, Outstanding ≥85%. Below 30% is unclassified.
- Weighting matters: a credit in a heavily weighted category, such as energy or materials, is worth more to the final score than a credit in a lightly weighted one.
- Innovation credits can add up to 10% on top of the weighted score, for exemplary performance or approved innovations.
- Minimum standards apply in some key areas: a project must meet them as well as the percentage score to achieve a given rating.
- Assessments are carried out by licensed BREEAM Assessors and quality-checked by BRE Global before certification.
What are the BREEAM categories?
BREEAM groups its criteria into categories that include management, health and wellbeing, energy, transport, water, materials, waste, land use and ecology, and pollution, with innovation as an extra. The exact categories, and their weightings, depend on the BREEAM scheme and version being used and on the type of building.
How are BREEAM credits calculated?
- Credits in each category. The assessor records how many of the available credits the project achieves in each category.
- Percentage per category. Credits achieved are divided by credits available to give a percentage for that category.
- Apply the weighting. Each percentage is multiplied by the category’s weighting.
- Add them up. The weighted scores are added together, plus any innovation credits, to give the final BREEAM score.
- Check minimum standards. The final score sets the rating, as long as the minimum standards for that rating are met.
A worked example
This example uses the weightings for a fully fitted-out building under BREEAM UK New Construction 2018, as published by the Steel Construction Institute:
| Category | Credits achieved / available | % achieved | Weighting | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | 14 / 21 | 66.67 | 11% | 7.33 |
| Health & Wellbeing | 12 / 22 | 54.55 | 14% | 7.64 |
| Energy | 15 / 31 | 48.39 | 16% | 7.74 |
| Transport | 8 / 12 | 66.67 | 10% | 6.67 |
| Water | 4 / 10 | 40.00 | 7% | 2.80 |
| Materials | 8 / 14 | 57.14 | 15% | 8.57 |
| Waste | 3 / 6 | 50.00 | 6% | 3.00 |
| Land Use & Ecology | 5 / 10 | 50.00 | 13% | 6.50 |
| Pollution | 8 / 12 | 66.67 | 8% | 5.33 |
| Innovation | 2 / 10 | 20.00 | 10% (additional) | 2.00 |
| Final score | 57.58: Very Good |
In this example, Land Use & Ecology carries 13% of the weighting, more than water, waste or pollution. Each ecology credit therefore has a noticeable effect on the final score.
How ecology earns BREEAM credits
In the current BREEAM UK New Construction scheme (version 6), the Land Use and Ecology category covers:
- LE 01 Site selection: reusing previously developed or contaminated land.
- LE 02 Ecological risks and opportunities: identifying the site’s ecological value and the opportunities to improve it.
- LE 03 Managing impacts on ecology: protecting ecological features during design and construction.
- LE 04 Ecological change and enhancement: measuring the change in ecological value and adding enhancements.
- LE 05 Long-term ecology management and maintenance: a plan to manage and maintain habitats after completion.
Several of these credits depend on the work of a Suitably Qualified Ecologist (SQE), who assesses the site, recommends protection and enhancement measures, and confirms the relevant requirements have been met. Appointing an ecologist early matters: BREEAM guidance refers to cases where the ecologist must confirm that a late appointment has not compromised measures to improve the site’s long-term biodiversity.
BREEAM and Biodiversity Net Gain
Ecology work for BREEAM often overlaps with Biodiversity Net Gain, which is now a mandatory requirement for most developments in England. A single ecological survey and habitat plan can often support both, if they are planned together.
Ecology services at RSS Infrastructure
Our Ecology Services team, part of Managed Environments led by Ryan Spence, with Principal Ecologist Scott Latham, provides Preliminary Ecological Appraisals, habitat surveys, protected species surveys and Biodiversity Net Gain surveys that can support a project’s BREEAM Land Use and Ecology credits. Call 0330 113 0004 to discuss your project.
Sources
- BREEAM: How does BREEAM work?
- BREEAM Knowledge Base: Land Use and Ecology (UK New Construction V6)
- Steel Construction Institute: BREEAM: UK building environmental assessment standard
