The Release of BREEAM Version 7

BREEAM Version 7 (V7) has officially been announced, introducing a wide range of updates that align with the construction industry’s growing focus on decarbonisation, electrification, and whole life carbon accountability. The new standard is designed to ensure that BREEAM-certified projects remain at the forefront of environmental performance while supporting the transition toward net zero.

The emphasis of this update has been to align with industry objectives on decarbonisation which require reductions in operational, embodied, refrigerant, and transportation emissions addressing whole life carbon across the building lifecycle.

With registrations for V7 opening in September 2025, we’ve provided you with a summary of everything you need to know.

New and Revised Minimum Standards

Projects targeting BREEAM Excellent or Outstanding will now need to meet enhanced minimum standards in several categories:

• Materials (Mat 01): Excellent ratings require LCA and embodied carbon reporting for any project stage whilst Outstanding ratings requires LCA and reporting for all project stages

• Energy Performance (Ene 01 / Ene 02): The minimum standards for Excellent and Outstanding can now be achieved based on either the energy performance score achieved in Ene 01, or the operational energy performance credits achieved in Ene 02 (Predictive energy modelling). Outstanding ratings must have no on-site fuel combustion

• Health and Wellbeing: New standards for daylighting and a smoking ban is required on site unless already mandated by law

Updated Weightings

To keep BREEAM relevant and regionally appropriate, BRE has adjusted category weightings:

• Increased weighting for embodied carbon credits
• Maintained a focus on health and wellbeing with these credits being highly weighted
• Recalibrated energy and carbon weighting to reflect grid emissions factors, pushing the agenda for electrified buildings

Technical Criteria

Several categories have now been updated with new or revised credits that reflect technological advancements and industry feedback:

• Man 05 – Management: New exemplary credit for projects developing Zero Carbon Transition Plans
• Hea 01 – Visual Comfort: Now split into multiple credits to cover:
  • Artificial lighting
  • Glare control
  • Non-visual effects of lighting
• Ene 07 & Ene 08 – Energy Systems: Credits for flexible demand response and installed control systems
• Wat 05 – Water Efficiency: New credit for predicting operational water consumption
• Mat 01 – Materials: Fully revised with:
  • Credits for LCA at all design stages
  • Public database submission
  • Embodied carbon benchmarks by building type
• Lue 02 – Land Use & Ecology: Streamlined to place greater emphasis on the role of qualified ecologists
• Lue 04 – Biodiversity: Benchmarks now aligned with the English Biodiversity Net Gain law and the requirements now encourages projects to exceed minimum legal requirements
• Pol 01 – Refrigerants: Now requires all refrigerants to have zero ozone depletion potential

Once Version 7 registrations open in September 2025, there will be a three-month transition period. During this time, you will still be able to register assets under Version 6 and 2018 scheme versions. Once Version 6 and 2018 close for new registrations, there will be a five-year validity period applied to the registration, meaning after the validity period has lapsed, the output following a QA and fees charged will be different.

Get in touch if you’d like to understand more about the updates.