Ene24 Reduction of carbon emissions – Above Green

(3 exemplary credits available)

Aim

To recognise reductions in operational energy consumption of the common areas and the associated carbon emissions achieved.

Question

What has been the average annual reduction in CO2 emissions of the common areas of the asset over the last 3 years?

Credits	Answer	Select a single answer
1	A	≥5%
2	B	≥10%
3	C	≥15%

Assessment criteria

Criterion	Assessment criteria	Applicable answer
1	Assets that have not previously certified with BREEAM In-Use will need to provide annual energy consumption data for year 3 prior to the current assessment. For assets that have previously been certified in BREEAM In-Use energy consumption data entry is not required and the number of credits will be calculated automatically.	A-C
2	If the mix of asset subtypes differs between the two reporting periods the asset subtype mix for the earlier reporting period will need to be entered.	A-C
3	Assessors must ensure that the reporting period for each energy source is between 11 – 13 months (334 to 397 days) and that the maximum time gap between the earliest start date and the latest end date across all fuels must be no greater than 14 months (428 days). This applies to both the current and the previous reporting periods	A-C
4	For all energy sources, please ensure that consumption data relates specifically to the area of the asset that is being assessed. This is the area that has been filled in as GIA under Asset Dimensions.	A-C
5	Consumption data for all energy sources used in the asset must be entered. If the asset uses an energy source that is not listed, please contact BRE for guidance on how to account for this.	A-C
6	Where the Energy Allocation method employed it must be used for both reporting periods	A-C

Methodology

Calculating carbon reduction

For assets where energy consumption data for the previous reporting period has not been entered into the BREEAM In-Use platform, energy consumption data will need to be entered. The data requirements and methodology are the same as for the current reporting period and are described in Ene 19 - Ene 21.

Where energy consumption data has been entered for the previous reporting period this will be automatically extracted from the BREEAM In-Use online platform.

The calculation compares the difference in annual carbon emissions between two reporting periods 3-years apart (i.e. 2016 and 2019 for 2019 assessments). The carbon emissions are calculated based on the annual energy consumption data for the two reporting periods using the current (i.e. 2019) BREEAM CO2 emission factors. This means the carbon improvement of the asset and exclude the impact of external factors such as decarbonisation of the electricity grid. Therefore, the carbon emissions per m2 will be calculated using the BREEAM In-Use V6.0.0 CO2 emission factors.

The carbon improvement calculation also takes account of changes in the mix of asset subtypes within the asset between the two reporting periods by measuring the performance improvement relative to the benchmark for the relevant asset subtype. Fuel specific guidance is provided in Table 30 under Ene 19 Energy consumption issue.

Reporting period

The intention is that the user enters energy consumption data based on a 365-day reporting period; for both years. However, it is possible to enter data for any reporting period between 11 and 13 months. Any reporting period outside of the 11 to 13-month range would be invalid and result in zero credits being scored.

Evidence

Criteria	Evidence requirement
-	The evidence below is not exhaustive, please also refer to the ‘BREEAM evidential requirements’ section in the scope of the Guidance for appropriate evidence types which can be used to demonstrate compliance.
All	Calculations based on inventory data.
All	Copies of energy bills or verified meter readings/ photographic evidence of meters for the beginning and end of the reporting period.