UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard launched

The UK’s first  Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard  (NZCBS) has been published[i], the product of several years of development and testing. It will enable the built environment to prove that built assets are decarbonising in line with the UK’s carbon and energy budgets. The voluntary and free-to-access standard has been developed through collaboration between several key industry groups including the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), the Carbon Trust, RICS, and the UK Green Buildings Council (UKGBC). Its development has involved testing on more than 200 projects, alongside input from over 350 industry experts.

Until now, there has been no single agreed methodology for defining what ‘net zero carbon’ means for buildings in the UK. The new standard ‘Version 1’ provides a set of consistent rules designed to create a level playing field, and builds on a Pilot Version released in September 2024.

The standard contains the technical details on how a building should meet its requirements- this includes the limits and targets it needs to meet, the technical evidence needed to demonstrate this, how it should be reported, how it must be verified, and the ways its verified status can be communicated. Further, it covers both embodied carbon (emitted directly or indirectly as construction takes place) and operational carbon, generated when the building is in use.

Katie Clemence-Jackson, CEO of UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard said: “The Standard will provide much-needed clarity and consistency to net zero carbon claims, combating greenwashing, and providing a robust definition for the industry to rally towards.”[ii]

Version 1 of the standard incorporates feedback from the Pilot Testing Programme, plus new Annexes that further support its implementation, all of which will make it easier and clearer to target and implement the Standard.

Clemence-Jackson adds that publication is “an important milestone for the Standard and paves the way for the UK built environment to understand, measure and reduce its carbon emissions in line with the UK’s climate targets. With verification soon to become available, it’s only a matter of time before the first officially Net Zero Carbon Aligned Buildings are verified, and we can’t wait.”[iii]

As of Q2 2026 verification will become available. Once launched, users will be able to appoint a verifier before undertaking the process to confirm that a building is Net Zero Carbon Aligned. Full information on the process and methodology will be shared on the UK NZCBS website once verification becomes available.

References

[i] UK NZCBS Version 1

[ii] The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard is here

[iii] The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard is here

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