AIR CONDITIONING
BREEAM V7 Redefi nes HVAC
BREEAM UK New Construction Version 7 shifts the focus from effi ciency to demonstrating measurable, whole-life sustainability. This demands transparent carbon data and low-GWP refrigerant options from manufacturers, EPD-backed specifi cations from designers, and proven operational performance from contractors. Steve Molloy, Sustainability & Commercial Solutions Manager at Daikin, explains how the industry must adapt.
'HVAC systems must not only be installed correctly, but their initial commissioning data and ongoing
operational performance must match design
predictions over time.'
T
he HVAC industry stands at a critical juncture. For decades, achieving sustainability in building design meant selecting equipment with high energy effi ciency
ratings, such as SEER or SCOP. However, as forecasters warn of increasingly severe weather systems and with four of the UK’s hottest years on record occurring between 2022 and the present, the conversation around climate control in the built environment has become increasingly urgent. The Climate Change Committee has made it clear that the UK is built for a climate that no longer exists, and has advocated for greater mechanical cooling in commercial spaces, care homes, and schools. Overheating is no longer an operational issue to be managed post-handover; it is a fundamental design priority that must be addressed at the earliest stages of a project, in line with the release of BREEAM UK New Construction Version 7. The updated standard places greater emphasis on advancing decarbonisation eff orts to mitigate climate risk and further improving sustainability across all stages of a building’s lifecycle. Key elements include expanded whole-life carbon assessments, incorporating benchmarking and reporting for both predicted and embodied carbon, and enhanced focus on biodiversity.
Getting the building envelope right is vital, of course, but the mechanical strategy should be given equal consideration,
particularly as the mercury continues to rise. After all, a carefully planned HVAC system must perform against a wide breadth of criteria. It must deliver thermal comfort year-round, contribute meaningfully to carbon-reduction targets, and remain capable of performing reliably in ambient conditions signifi cantly warmer than today’s. These are fundamental design considerations.
This focus on long-term operational resilience directly aligns with the expanded scope of BREEAM Version 7. Under categories Mat 01 (Building Life Cycle Assessment) and Mat 02 (Environmental Product Declarations), V7 shifts the primary metric far beyond simple operational energy toward whole-life carbon and embodied impact. Specifi ers are now required to account for the embodied carbon generated throughout an equipment’s full lifecycle, spanning raw material extraction, manufacturing, transport, use, and eventual end-of-life disposal or recycling, across Modules A1–C4. Crucially, MEP systems are now more explicitly incorporated into these calculations, making verifi ed, third-party Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) compliant with ISO 14025 and EN 15804 an absolute necessity for scoring top credits. At the same time, BREEAM V7 directly targets the persistent industry ‘performance gap’ – the disparity between how a building is designed to perform on paper and how it operates in reality. Under category Ene 02 (Prediction of Operational Energy and Carbon), V7 rewards detailed dynamic simulation modelling performed at the early design stage using recognised framework guidelines such as CIBSE TM54, ASHRAE 209, or NABERS UK.
Mechanical systems must be modelled accurately under varying real-world conditions, accounting for changing occupancy patterns, severe climate scenarios, and control strategies. Complementing this, category Ene 03 requires automated sub-metering systems to track real-time energy use across individual zones and to verify, post-handover, that installed mechanical systems maintain design effi ciency. Refrigerant selection further bridges the gap between
environmental protection and operational safety under BREEAM V7 category Pol 01 (Impact of Refrigerants). To earn
26 October 2026 •
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