Verification with the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard is now open and as Katie Clemence-Jackson, CEO, UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard explains, is the result of unprecedented collaboration within the UK built environment.
The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (The Standard) was established in 2022 to provide a consistent, industry-agreed definition of net zero carbon which could cut through greenwash and robustly demonstrate in use performance. With Version 1 released in March this year, and verification having just opened, the first verified Net Zero Carbon Aligned projects will be announced this autumn.
The Standard is the industry’s first unified definition for Net Zero Carbon Aligned buildings. It is a voluntary standard, applicable to new and existing buildings as well as retrofits, created through unprecedented collaboration within the UK built environment industry.
It is focused on in-use, measured performance, and is backed by building data and science-led modelling. The Standard covers both the ‘methodology’ to measure a building’s carbon and energy performance, and the ‘definition’ of a Net Zero Carbon Aligned building. The definition is conveyed through a number of mandatory limits, targets, and requirements; including removal of fossil fuels; introduction of on-site renewable electricity generation; and limits on upfront embodied carbon and measured in-use energy consumption. To demonstrate these requirements have been met, measured in-use building data must be submitted for third party verification.
Net Zero Carbon Aligned
Independent third-party checking is mandatory and means that any claims under the Standard are robust. Verifiers will apply expert knowledge to affirm the quality of the evidence, and whether it substantiates the conformity claim. Bureau Veritas has been appointed as the Standard’s verification partner. Third party verification gives confidence that only buildings with demonstrable low carbon outcomes can earn Net Zero Carbon Aligned status. There are three routes for buildings to prove their commitment to net zero.
Buildings that are in use with at least a year of operational energy data alongside as built upfront embodied carbon data can prove that they meet the limits and targets of the Standard, to be verified as Net Zero Carbon Aligned.
Performance Evaluations
An alternate designation called a Performance Evaluation is also available for buildings that may not yet meet all the Standard’s requirements. This route requires buildings to undergo the same third-party verification process, using the Standard’s metrics and assessment methodology. The output is a Performance Evaluation Report – a robust ‘report card’ of the building’s decarbonisation progress. This route provides industry with a consistent and evidence-driven way of reporting in-use building performance.
PC on Track
To build confidence prior to having collected a year’s worth of operational energy data, buildings can choose to undergo a verified check at Practical Completion to determine whether the building is On Track to meet the Standard in use.
Verification to the Standard and the availability of Performance Evaluations mark a major shift from design-stage, modelled claims, to measured in-use performance. It evidences the performance gap the industry has long known about, providing a consistent methodology to measure energy use and as-built embodied carbon.
The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard provides a credible and consistent way to define and verify net zero claims. Use of the Standard’s methodology and the availability of this accurate data will create industry benchmarks in the measurement, reporting, and verification of Net Zero Carbon Aligned claims. Improving confidence in building performance through verified claims gives assurance across the value chain, from investors and funders to developers and occupiers – Net Zero Carbon Aligned buildings will have exemplary performance and low energy bills, as well as enhanced marketability, resilience and futureproofing.
We are looking forward to seeing projects verified as Net Zero Carbon Aligned providing no doubt about their carbon credentials.
THE STANDARD
The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard provides a unified definition for ‘Net Zero Carbon Aligned Buildings’ in the UK, underpinned by an evidence-based reporting methodology. The Standard is for anyone who wants to fund, procure, design, or specify a Net Zero Carbon Aligned Building in the UK, and for anyone who wishes to definitively demonstrate that their building is Net Zero Carbon Aligned.
The Standard has been developed through collaboration involving BBP, BRE, CIBSE, IStructE, LETI, RIBA, RICS, and UKGBC, as well as industry leaders spanning architects, engineers, carbon assessors, developers, contractors, and more, and may be useful to policymakers in outlining what is needed to support the UK’s net zero carbon transition. Over 350 experts from across the industry have supported the Technical Steering Group during the Standard’s development phase. Wider stakeholder engagement and feedback through roundtables, as well as through public consultation and a comprehensive Pilot Testing Programme, captured the views of over 1000 individuals, and the real-life experience of applying the Standard on more than 200 projects.
Verification opened on 28 July 2026. For more information on how to verify, visit: www.nzcbuildings.co.uk/verification
