BREEAM glossary

The terms that appear in BREEAM technical manuals, planning conditions and assessor reports, in plain English. Each entry links to the page that covers it in detail.

Organisations and roles

• BRE — the Building Research Establishment, which owns BREEAM, publishes the technical manuals, licenses assessors and issues certificates.
• BREEAM assessor — the individual licensed by BRE to carry out and submit an assessment. See BREEAM assessor.
• BREEAM AP — Accredited Professional, a distinct role facilitating performance targets through design, worth credits on some schemes. See BREEAM consultant.

Schemes

• New Construction — new buildings, including shell and core. See New Construction.
• Refurbishment and Fit-Out (RFO) — works to existing buildings, assessed in parts. See Refurbishment and Fit-Out.
• In-Use — operational performance and management of existing buildings. See In-Use.
• Communities — masterplanning and large mixed-use development. See Communities.

Scoring terms

• Credit — a single assessable requirement in the technical manual.
• Category weighting — the factor applied to each category's score when totalling the rating.
• Minimum standards — credits that must be achieved for a given rating regardless of the overall percentage.
• Rating — Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent or Outstanding.
• Interim certificate — certification of the design stage where the scheme allows it.
• Post-construction certificate — the final certificate based on as-built evidence.

Common credit references

• Wat 01 — water consumption. See Wat 01.
• Wat 03 — water leak detection. See Wat 03.
• Mat 01 — life cycle impacts of materials. See embodied carbon.
• Ene, Hea, Tra, Wst, LE, Pol, Man, Inn — the Energy, Health and Wellbeing, Transport, Waste, Land Use and Ecology, Pollution, Management and Innovation category prefixes. See the guidance hub.

Related certifications

• LEED — the US-originated certification used internationally. See BREEAM vs LEED.
• NABERS UK — measured operational energy rating for offices. See BREEAM and NABERS UK.

Need this applied to your project?

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Frequently Asked Questions

What do BREEAM credit codes like Wat 01 mean?

Each code is a category prefix plus a credit number from the technical manual — Wat for Water, Mat for Materials, Ene for Energy, and so on. Wat 01 is the water consumption credit set.

What are BREEAM minimum standards?

Specific credits that must be achieved to reach a given rating, regardless of the total percentage score. They are why a high score alone does not guarantee Excellent or Outstanding.