The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard: Translating the technical requirements

Francesca outlines the requirements in the new pilot Standard and explains what they mean.

The pilot for the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (the Standard) officially launched last week. This is a game-changer for the built environment; it’s the first-cross industry initiative that aligns to a 1.5°C climate trajectory and science-based targets.

To keep the UK on track for net-zero by 2050, the Standard aims to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035.

This Standard is a technical document that sets out operational carbon and embodied carbon limits and targets. Doug Drewniak and Francesca Wilkinson from Willmott Dixon’s sustainability and building performance team have been involved in shaping the Standard since 2022.

Below, Francesca explains some of the technical requirements.

“The pilot stage of the Standard is an exciting development for our industry; it's essential for everyone to understand its potential impact on future projects.

Below, I outline the essentials...

What are my key takeaways from the pilot Standard?

  1. Targets and limits will change based on scientific data and the UK's carbon budget.
  2. The target and limits for a building will be dictated by the year construction commenced.
  3. A building can only be verified after occupation and must supply 12 months of post-occupation data.
  4. Verification lasts 12 months, requiring yearly data submission to maintain net-zero status.
  5. During reverification, a building will continue to be verified against the data for the year the construction commenced.

What project types does it cover?

The Standard covers a wide range of building types, including:

  • Homes
  • Sport and leisure
  • Hotels
  • Offices
  • Retail
  • Commercial residential (e.g. Student residences)
  • Schools
  • Culture and entertainment
  • Storage and distribution
  • Healthcare*
  • Science and technology
  • Data centres
  • Higher education

It does not apply to infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, etc.

What do the targets and limits cover?

The Standard sets out different limits and targets depending on building type. These have been informed by climate science and expert sector groups. The expert groups have utilised robust building performance and industry data to set limits that are ambitious but achievable.

The limits (the maximum allowance that must not be exceeded)

  • Upfront carbon (embodied carbon from raw material to practical completion)
  • Operational energy
  • Fossil fuel free
  • District heating and cooling networks
  • Refrigerants
  • Heating delivered (the energy use associated with the heating sources for the building)

These limits will depend on building type, and they will be updated periodically to ensure they remain in line with the UK’s real-time carbon emissions and remaining budget.

The targets (the minimum requirement)

  • On-site renewable electricity generation

The target for buildings will depend on its geographical location and building type, but the majority of buildings will need to generate a minimum of 40-45 kWh/m2/yr.

Reporting requirements

The minimum level of information that must be publicly disclosed is:

  • Life cycle embodied carbon (a building’s embodied carbon from raw materials to end of life)
  • Operational water use
  • Electricity demand
  • Heating and cooling delivered to the building

Optional reporting

Offsetting isn’t a requirement of the Standard, but any data you can provide about offsetting via high-quality credits is likely to help inform future versions of the Standard.

Practical examples of the targets and limits

For different building types, operational energy limits will tighten by between 10-15% by 2030, while upfront carbon limits will tighten by between 25-30%.

Here are some specific limits for 2025 and 2050 that show how they will change:

Sector

Embodied Carbon target

(2025)

Embodied Carbon target

(2050)

Energy Use Intensity (EUI) target

(2025)

Energy Use Intensity (EUI) target

(2050)

School

530 kgCO2e/m2

45 kgCO2e/m2

45 kWh/m2/yr

35 kWh/m2/yr

Sports & Leisure

(Wet leisure)

755 kgCO2e/m2

60 kgCO2e/m2

350 kWh/m2/yr

250 kWh/m2/yr

Student Accommodation

580 kgCO2e/m2

45 kgCO2e/m2

75 kWh/m2/yr

50 kWh/m2/yr

Do you need to offset as part of the Standard?

Offsetting carbon is not required by the pilot Standard. It can complement the Standard, but it can’t replace mandatory elements. If you do decide to offset there is an option to receive a different verification level:

  1. Net-zero carbon aligned building: Meets all of the Standard’s requirements.
  2. Net-zero carbon aligned (plus offsets): Meets all of the Standard’s requirements and offsets any remaining carbon emissions.

How will a building get verified?

The pilot version does not include a verification process yet, but it does outline likely principles (such as annual verification by a third-party provider). This section will be developed and finalised with feedback from the pilot testing, and you will be able to verify against the Standard once Version 1 is launched in 2025.

How can you get involved in the pilot?

The ‘Pilot Testing Programme’ hasn’t opened for applications yet, but you can register your interest on the UK Net Zero Building Standard website with pilots likely to commence in early 2025. You can also opt to ‘unofficially’ test the Standard on existing projects – this can be done at any time before the launch of Version 1 of the Standard in 2025.

Why adopt the standard?

While currently voluntary, the Standard is expected to influence future policies and building requirements as the UK strives to achieve net zero by 2050. It establishes consistent rules and carbon limits, curbing unproven net-zero claims and guiding the creation of low-carbon, energy-efficient buildings.

Over 300 UK councils have declared a climate emergency, which highlights the burning need to act. The Standard includes decarbonisation trajectories that align with the UK carbon budgets set out by the Government and other expert organisations. This means that the Standard is a best-practice approach to building and retrofitting low-carbon, energy-efficient buildings – both for now, and the future.

The buildings we create today will still be standing when we reach the 2050 deadline for net zero. Aligning buildings with the Standard will futureproof them and ensure they aren’t added to a list of buildings that need retrofitting in the years to come.

Are the targets too ambitious?

Although these targets may seem ambitious, they are achievable. At Wilmott Dixon we have already delivered projects that meet some of the limits and targets for 2025. Some examples are below:

Silverwood SEND School has an embodied carbon total of 424 kgCO2e/m2, and Hackbridge Primary School was designed to have an energy use intensity of 43 kWh/m2/yr.

Eclipse Leisure Centre has an embodied carbon total of 678 kgCO2e/m2 and is designed to have an energy use intensity of 309 kWh/m2/yr.

Finally, our Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) as part of a student village at University of Staffordshire is designed to hit an average embodied carbon total of 554.86 kgCO2e/m2 and is close to reaching the energy use intensity limit with an average of 82 kWh/m2/yr."

More information

For a top-level overview of the Standard, including why it was created, what the Pilot entails and how it could impact on projects in the future, read Doug’s blog here.

You can read the full standard here or sign up for the Pilot Standard’s ‘Launch Webinar’ here, which takes place on 31st October 2024.

If you’d like to discuss your own journey to net zero, click here to get in touch with our team.

* Healthcare buildings must comply with NHS standards for energy usage but comply with the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard for domestic hot water and unregulated load limits.