What is BREEAM In-Use?
BREEAM In-Use is BRE's certification standard for assessing and benchmarking the sustainability of existing, operational buildings, covering both the asset and how it is managed.
Who uses it
Per BREEAM, In-Use can assess and benchmark all operational asset types, and it shares a common framework so results compare across countries. Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland run locally adapted versions through national scheme operators. Owners, fund managers and occupiers of office, retail and logistics portfolios are the main users, with licensed assessors carrying out each assessment.
Version status
BRE released BREEAM Version 7 first for New Construction and has said Refurbishment and Fit Out and In-Use follow. Check the BREEAM site for the In-Use version open for registration before scoping a new assessment, since credit content changes between versions.
Comparable energy and water across a portfolio
In-Use rewards measured consumption over estimates, and portfolios need the same basis at every site. Aqueduct ranks buildings on metered energy and water normalized per square foot or per visitor, and weather-normalized baselines separate a mild winter from a real improvement before figures go to an assessor.