New designation will recognise buildings’ progress on the path to Net Zero Carbon Alignment

The mission of the Standard is not just to create a definition, but also to drive market transformation towards net zero carbon and create consistency within the industry. 

In pursuit of these goals, a separate Performance Evaluation designation is being introduced, allowing buildings to be evaluated against the Standard’s requirements, where they are not able to meet all the requirements to be Net Zero Carbon Aligned. Launching at the same time as the Standard’s verification in Q2 this year, UK NZCBS Performance Evaluations will require the same level of verification as for a Net Zero Carbon Aligned claim, and the output will provide a robust indication of how the building is performing across different aspects of the Standard’s requirements.

While not the same status as being Net Zero Carbon Aligned, a verified Performance Evaluation acts as a “report card” for the building, using the same metrics and measurements. They also show how closely a building performed against the applicable limits in the Standard. This represents an important step on a building’s decarbonisation journey, both through reporting of in-use performance, and following the process: learning to measure and assess performance against the Standard, and to access and understand the relevant data.  

Performance Evaluations make it an easy decision to pursue the Standard: evaluated buildings either receive Net Zero Carbon Aligned status, or a transparent, verified evaluation of how close they came. 

Toward a Net Zero Carbon built environment in the UK

The intention of introducing Performance Evaluations is to support widespread adoption of the Standard, acting as a “building MOT” that shows where attention is needed to meet its requirements. They encourage transparency about building performance, provide a robust indicator of a building’s progress on the journey towards being Net Zero Carbon Aligned, and contribute to the evidence base that will inform the future development of the Standard. 

Performance Evaluations are also a mechanism for industry-wide improvement. Every building that pursues a Performance Evaluation has gone through a data-gathering and measurement process with the Standard's requirements in mind. The more buildings that go through that process, the more the industry as a whole moves in the right direction — driving down carbon emissions and reinforcing the skills and knowledge needed to reach net zero.

Figure 1 Indicative representation of an example Performance Evaluation graphic- currently undergoing further development. The visual identity of Performance Evaluations is being developed to be clearly and immediately distinguishable from that of a Net Zero Carbon Aligned achievement 

For more information head to: www.nzcbuildings.co.uk