Going green doesn’t mean much if you don’t have the credentials to back up your claims. This is why sustainability and green building certifications like BREEAM and LEED are becoming increasingly important to investors, lawmakers, and potential tenants.
The real estate sector is responsible for about 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions globally. Even though the industry faces increasing pressures to decarbonize and meet global climate goals, construction and the built environment still account for higher-than-ideal CO2 emissions, and energy and freshwater usage.
Aside from complying with evolving local sustainability regulations, green building is also an avenue toward increasing profits and competitiveness. However, to achieve green building status, you may need to get your BREEAM or LEED certification first.
Introducing the BREEAM Certification
The BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certification is an environmental assessment methodology for buildings governed by a private organization, BRE Global. BREEAM accreditation was introduced in the UK in 1990 and has since been adopted as the golden standard for green building in the UK and Europe.
How Does BREEAM Certification Work?
The BREEAM certification evaluates and scores buildings according to their ESG performance across several categories, including energy and water efficiency, land use, pollution reduction, waste management, health and wellbeing, transport, and innovation.
According to the score accumulated in each category, a building is then awarded a rating rank that reflects its adherence to set sustainability standards – from Unclassified to Outstanding.
[ Source: BREEAM ]
Water management is one of BREEAM’s key focuses, contributing up to 9 points to the BREEAM certification score. Intelligent technologies for water monitoring, like the one offered by Wint Water Intelligence, can help you achieve the maximum score across all subcategories of the Water category. Wint’s AI-powered system monitors water usage in real-time and detects and stops leaks at the source, supporting efforts to reduce water consumption and prevent water damage.
Who Can Benefit from Achieving a BREEAM Certification?
Since BREEAM is the leading accreditation in the UK and the EU, it’s no wonder lawmakers and local authorities in Europe are adopting it as a green building framework. Many jurisdictions today demand that buildings comply with a certain BREEAM level in their regional and local ESG policies.
Property developers and owners in the UK and Europe have the most to gain by achieving BREEAM. Like other green building certifications, BREEAM offers added value beyond regulatory compliance, such as reduced operation costs, improved occupant experience, and enhanced property value.
[ Source: ResearchGate ]
An Introduction to LEED Certification
LEED (Leadership Energy and Environmental Design) is one of the world’s most popular green building certification systems. Introduced by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1998, it has since been adopted widely in Canada, Asia, and the Middle East, with over 190,000 LEED-certified buildings worldwide.
How Does LEED Certification Work?
The LEED framework takes a holistic approach to building sustainability by measuring performance and assigning credits to each metric. The categories for evaluation include site sustainability, water efficiency, materials and resources, innovation, regional priority, energy and atmosphere, indoor environmental quality, and waste reduction.
There are four levels of LEED certification, depending on the number of credits accumulated: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points), and the highest level—LEED Platinum (over 80 points), reserved only for the most eco-friendly projects in the world.
[ Source: RUBICON ]
Who Can Benefit from Achieving a LEED Certification?
LEED certification is best for organizations operating in the US, Canada, and Asia, as well as multinational companies looking to comply with the prestigious standard. Its rating system and scoring schemes offer flexibility to suit various project types. With an extensive industry partner network, LEED is an attractive accreditation for construction and real estate companies looking to prove their commitment to ESG principles and boost their reputation.
BREEAM vs LEED: Which Certification is Right for You?
BREEAM and LEED are two of the most popular measurement tools for sustainable building throughout its lifecycle. Both certifications use rating systems but differ significantly in their approaches, scoring systems, focus areas, and other criteria.
1. Global Recognition and Geographic Scope
One of the main differences between BREEAM and LEED is their origin, which has resulted in their popularity in certain regions. At its inception, BREEAM was adapted to the industry’s best practices and regulations in the UK and EU. With many EU city buildings and century-old structures that may require historic preservation and climate change adaptation, BREEAM is more suited to this region.
LEED, a younger standard, was developed for buildings and development projects in North America. However, its criteria are applicable worldwide, so BREEAM-certified buildings can often apply for LEED certification, and vice versa.
[ Source: Architects’ Journal ]
2. Emphasis and Focus
BREEAM emphasizes project management and climate change adaptation. It specializes in carbon dioxide emission reduction and the impact of building material selection on sustainability goals. Many rating criteria and scoring schemes are based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
On the other hand, LEED focuses more on realizing cost savings throughout the building lifecycle, energy efficiency, and design innovation. It draws heavily from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards for green buildings.
3. Certification Process
One of the most significant differences between BREEAM and LEED is their certification process, customization, and flexibility for different projects and building stages.
BREEAM employs licensed assessors in the evaluation and scoring process and is generally considered more detailed and rigorous than LEED. Buildings assessed for LEED certification are audited internally, and the data is submitted to the US-GBC online. Then, the project is evaluated by US-GBC auditors, who assign the final score to determine the LEED certification level.
[ Source: OnGreening ]
4. Evaluation Categories
BREEAM uses a weighted scoring scheme that prioritizes specific categories over others, such as energy efficiency and water consumption. LEED, on the other hand, spreads credits more evenly across categories.
In addition, BREEAM includes two more categories than LEED. These additional categories pertain mostly to long-term sustainability and climate change adaptation of old buildings and existing structures.
So, Which One is Right for You? LEED or BREEAM?
BREEAM may be your natural choice if you want to gain green building certification in the UK or the EU, as it is better adapted to local regulations and the condition of existing structures. If you want to achieve green building certification in the United States, you may lean toward LEED for the same reasons. In the United States, LEED better fits local laws, regulations, and environmental conditions than BREEAM.
[ Source: ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems ]
What You Can Do to Achieve Green Certifications Like BREEAM and LEED
The paths to achieving BREEAM or LEED certification differ in their approach. Still, there are some fundamental steps building owners can take to score accreditation points even before engaging in a certification process.
1. Set your Sustainability Goals
As tempting as it may seem to aim for an exceptional rating like LEED Platinum on the very first submission, it’s essential to set realistic goals that are feasible, ROI-positive, and aligned with long-term business strategies.
2. Conduct a Sustainability Assessment and Bridge Gaps
Compare your designs, plans, blueprints, and documented processes against the requirements and guidelines in your certification standard of choice.
In most cases, your sustainability assessment will uncover gaps between your current sustainability performance and the score you aim to achieve in your certification process. Now comes the hard work – finding the right strategies, tactics, and products to bridge those gaps cost-efficiently.
Ensure you communicate your plan and its benefits to relevant stakeholders, including investors, tenants, third-party providers, or local regulatory authorities. You can’t prepare for green building certification without the cooperation and collaboration of the stakeholders involved.
3. Score “Easy Wins”
The ranking and rating schemes of both BREEAM and LEED focus heavily on energy and water efficiency in buildings. There are many reasons for this – not just the global importance of reducing CO2 emissions and conserving drinking water resources.
Energy and water efficiency are relatively easy to integrate and introduce cost savings, making them “easy wins” through technology. For example, motion sensors for lighting in office buildings can significantly reduce energy consumption in vacant areas, and leak detection via IoT edge devices like the ones produced by Wint can stop leaks in concealed water pipes.
[ Source: Telit Cinterion ]
Achieving Your Water Conservation Goals with Wint
LEED and BREEAM certifications are globally recognized green building certifications that promote future-proof construction, maintenance, and renovation of buildings and structures worldwide.
Whether you choose BREEAM or LEED as your green building certification framework, water conservation and technological innovation are both categories where you can easily score credits while actualizing operational savings in record time.
Wint Water Intelligence provides your teams and you with an enterprise-grade water monitoring, management, and leak prevention solution. Powered by AI/ML and active IoT sensors and valves, Wint monitors and controls water flow throughout the lifecycle of your building projects, alerts for leaks in real time, and stops them at the source.
With a solution like Wint Water Intelligence, you can score up to 9 points in the water efficiency categories for both LEED and BREEAM certification schemes.
