The buildings that go through the BREEAM certification process, are a guarantee of the willingness of being more sustainable and thus, more attractive for investors. Taking care of our planet is of vital importance nowadays. We are already facing serious problems such as droughts, water scarcity… And the BREEAM certification process can be a way to start playing our part in improving water efficiency in buildings. In this article, we explain how Shayp helps meet the criteria for commercial and residential in-use buildings.
BREEAM → Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology.
BREEAM is “the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It recognises and reflects the value in higher performing assets across the built environment lifecycle, from new construction to in-use and refurbishment”.
Regarding water usage, BREEAM states that their criteria “encourages sustainable water use throughout the operation of the asset and the associated site. This ensures the asset focuses on identifying means of reducing potable water consumption (internal and external) over the lifetime of the building and minimising losses through leakage.”
BREEAM underlines the importance of addressing leakages in buildings on top of equipping assets with more water efficient appliances.
That is possible thanks to certification of the assessment made by a third party of an asset’s environmental, social and economic sustainability performance. This guarantees a sustainable environment that assures well-being for the people who live or work in it.
Owning this certification makes your building more suitable for receiving investments. It is a way to differentiate your property from others, ensuring that you respect and protect natural resources.
For BREEAM V6.0.0 (update 2021), In-use international, Commercial & Residential.
| BREEAM V6.0.0 (update 2021) | In-Use Commercial | Residential | Aim |
| Wat 01 – Water monitoring | 6 credits +1 exemplary | 3 credits | To reduce the consumption of water in buildings through the effective management and monitoring of water consumption. |
| Wat 07 – Leak detection system | 4 credits | 2 credits | To reduce the overall consumption of water in buildings through minimising wastage due to water leaks. |
| Wat 11 – Water consumption | 4 credits | 4 credits | To ensure management is aware of annual consumption from utility-supplied water resources |
| Wat 13 – Water consumption reporting | 4 credits | 2 credits | To facilitate the structured and systematic provision of reporting on water consumption to encourage building users to understand and set efficiency improvement targets |
| Wat 14 – Water strategy | 6 credits | 6 credits | To promote reduced utility-supplied water consumption through encouraging strategies that focus on water efficiency and reduction on wastage. |
| BREEAM V6.0.0 (update 2021) | Criteria |
| Wat 01 – Water monitoring | Water monitoring is the basic service for Shayp and can help achieve maximum points. Building areas consuming 10% or more of total water demand will need to be fitted with sub-meters and have water monitoring equipment. When the building is multi-tenanted, the water consumption has to be metered per tenanted area or home. Gain an exemplary credit for commercial buildings with Shayp by automatically retrieving data remotely and sending it to the Building Management System (BMS). |
| Wat 07 – Leak detection system | Shayp overachieves all BREEAM criteria regarding a leak detection system, gaining 4 credits in commercial buildings and 2 credits in residential buildings. Shayp has the ability to automatically detect the presence of water leaks throughout the water supply within a metered area and is : ✔ Able to easily identify any detected leaks no matter the size or type of building ✔ Activated when a continuous flow of water passes through the water meter at a continuous flow rate outside of normal activity hours. (No pre-sets required here). ✔ Can be equipped on all pulse ready utility meters or sub-meters For maximum credits, the system does not need to cut off the water supply when the alarm is triggered. BREEAM suggests to install a separate meter after the utility meter unless the utility meter can be directly used. Shayp can retrofit utility meters if there is a pulse output which is usually the case. In order to remain compliant, make sure emergency systems such as fire hydrants and sprinklers are also covered by the leak detection system. |
| Wat 11 – Water consumption | It’s required that water utility-supplied water be fully reported and monitored. Shayp automatically retrieves meter indexes in order to precisely report water consumption. You will require monitoring and documented verified meter readings for each reporting period to be able to obtain all 4 credits. |
| Wat 13 – Water consumption reporting | To obtain most credits, you need to compare against targets (commercial) or against previous performance (residential) and to report internally. For commercial buildings, publishing water consumption in an annual report helps gain 1 extra credit. Building water consumption should be monitored, targeted and reported to the appropriate level within the building occupant’s organisational structure. Shayp helps automatically build these reports without any effort. Be sure to also have dedicated water management/reduction targets endorsed at senior level. |
| Wat 14 – Water strategy | To validate these credits, a water strategy needs to be in place which includes replacing water appliances and fittings with low water use equivalents during refurbishment. Shayp helps gain extra credits since it automatically establishes a proactive maintenance policy for installed water systems. Shayp is capable of identifying discrepancies and alerting operators when teams need to be dispatched for repairs. a. Preventive maintenance: maintenance, measurements, tests, parts replacement, etc. to prevent faults from occurring. b. Predictive maintenance: techniques that are designed to help determine the condition of installed equipment in order to predict when maintenance should occur |
The growing interest in the achievement of the BREEAM certification is a huge benefit for everyone. We all can gain from the improvements in the respect and protection of the environment and natural resources. We will be able to start avoiding or slowing down some of the environmental problems we are already facing such as pollution, droughts, water scarcity, climate change…
So, let’s find a way to play a role in this change! With the Shayp solution, you will avoid water waste and you will reduce water consumption by 22%. As for this, Shayp can provide you with a certification to prove that your buildings are water efficient and also help to build managers to obtain environmental certifications such as BREEAM for instance.
Does this sound interesting to you? Do not hesitate to take the first step and contact the experts at Shayp.