Metered utility data earns or evidences a specific, useful set of BREEAM credits, mainly in the Energy, Water and Management categories. It does not earn the fixture and design credits that make up much of the water and energy sections. Knowing the difference is what keeps a certification strategy honest and saves you money.
This is a four-part series: Part 1: a practical guide, Part 2: energy credits, Part 3: water credits and Part 4: management credits.
This guide maps exactly where continuous energy, gas, water and heat data fits into BREEAM, across the two schemes a commercial portfolio actually uses: BREEAM In-Use (existing buildings in operation) and BREEAM New Construction (new build and major works). It is written for 2026 and calibrated to the Commercial scheme: In-Use International Commercial Version 6 and New Construction Version 7.
Quick answer: what utility data does and does not do
| What metered utility data covers | |
|---|---|
| Earns directly | Submetering and monitoring credits, operational consumption data, consumption reporting |
| Evidences or supports | Leak detection, energy audits, environmental targets, tenant engagement and green leases |
| Does not earn | Efficient fixtures (toilets, taps, urinals), building fabric, HVAC efficiency, on-site generation hardware |
| Never replaces | A licensed BREEAM assessor, who is always required to certify |
The honest version: a monitoring platform is the evidence layer for the credits that are about measuring and managing consumption. It is not a shortcut to the credits that are about what you install.
The two BREEAM schemes a commercial portfolio uses
Most confusion around BREEAM credits comes from mixing up the schemes. The same code means different things in each, so this series always names the scheme and version.
BREEAM In-Use (International Commercial, Version 6) assesses existing, operational buildings. It is where most European portfolio activity sits, and it powers GRESB reporting for 2025 and 2026. In-Use V6 has two parts: Part 1 (Asset Performance), the building's physical attributes, and Part 2 (Management Performance), which needs at least 12 months of actual operational data. In-Use V7 is expected late 2026; until then, V6 is current.
BREEAM New Construction (Version 7) assesses new build and major refurbishment at the design and construction stage. V7 went live in September 2025 and is mandatory for new registrations from 27 January 2026. It renumbered several energy credits, which is why older guides are now out of date.
Why this matters for codes: "Ene 02" means Energy Monitoring in New Construction V6, but in V7 that same code became operational energy prediction, and monitoring moved to Ene 03. Any BREEAM guide that does not state the scheme and version is guessing.
Where utility data earns credits: the map
The three categories where continuous metering earns or evidences credits are Energy, Water and Management. Each has its own deep-dive in this series.
| Category | In-Use V6 (existing buildings) | New Construction V7 (new build) | Rhino's role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | Ene 15 Monitoring energy uses, Ene 16 Monitoring tenanted areas, Ene 19 to 21 operational energy, Ene 22 audit, Ene 23 reporting | Ene 03 Energy monitoring, plus data to support Ene 02 operational energy prediction | Submeter the building, supply the consumption data, automate the reports |
| Water | Wat 01 Water monitoring, Wat 07 Leak detection, Wat 11 Water consumption, Wat 13 reporting | Wat 02 Water monitoring, Wat 03 Leak detection and prevention, Wat 05 operational water prediction | Meter mains and sub-uses, flag leaks from flow data, evidence consumption |
| Management | Man 02 Engagement and feedback, Man 04 Environmental policies and targets, Man 05 Green lease | Man 04 Commissioning and handover, Man 05 Aftercare | Share performance data with tenants, evidence targets, feed aftercare monitoring |
Read the detail in Part 2: Energy, Part 3: Water, and Part 4: Management.
The credits utility data does not earn
Being clear about this is the point. In BREEAM's water category, most credits reward efficient fixtures: low-flush toilets, low-flow taps, waterless urinals, efficient white goods. In energy, credits reward building fabric, HVAC efficiency and on-site generation hardware. Metered data can verify that these things perform once installed, but it does not earn the credit. The credit is earned by specifying and installing the equipment, and evidenced by the assessor.
So a monitoring platform is not a route to a rating on its own. It is the part of the strategy that handles measurement, monitoring, reporting and evidence, which happens to be where design-stage certification most often falls down in operation.
One thing specific to Rhino: hardware submeters, not estimates
BREEAM In-Use is explicit that the submetering credits (Ene 15 and Ene 16) require actual hardware submeters. Non-intrusive load monitoring, or NILM, which estimates end-use consumption from a single meter using software, is not accepted for these credits. Rhino reads physical meters and submeters directly, so the data qualifies. This is a real distinction from software-only, estimate-based tools.
See how Rhino turns portfolio-wide meter data into audit-ready BREEAM evidence.
Do you still need a BREEAM assessor?
Yes, always. A licensed BREEAM assessor conducts the assessment and submits the certification. No platform replaces that. What a monitoring platform does is package the evidence for the credits it covers, so the assessor works from objective meter data rather than manual logs and one-off studies. It also keeps that evidence current, which matters most for BREEAM In-Use, where certification is ongoing and recertification is the norm.
A note on Innovation and exemplary credits
BREEAM offers a small number of exemplary and Innovation credits for beating the top benchmark on a standard credit, for example an exceptional operational energy or water reduction. Strong, well-managed performance data can help support such a case, but these credits are assessor and BRE approved on a project-by-project basis, so treat them as a possible upside, not a plan.
Frequently asked questions
Which BREEAM credits does utility monitoring data earn?
Mainly the submetering and monitoring credits (In-Use Ene 15 and Ene 16, New Construction Ene 03 and Wat 02), the operational consumption credits (In-Use Ene 19 to 21 and Wat 11), and the consumption reporting credits (Ene 23, Wat 13). It also evidences leak detection, energy audits, environmental targets and tenant engagement.
Which BREEAM credits can utility data not earn?
The fixture and design credits: efficient toilets, taps, urinals and white goods, building fabric, HVAC efficiency, and on-site generation hardware. Data can verify performance but does not earn these credits.
Is BREEAM In-Use still Version 6 in 2026?
Yes. BREEAM In-Use Version 6 is current and powers GRESB 2025 and 2026. New Construction moved to Version 7, mandatory for new registrations from 27 January 2026. In-Use V7 is expected later in 2026.
Does a monitoring platform replace a BREEAM assessor?
No. A licensed assessor is always required to certify. A platform supplies and automates the evidence for the credits it covers.
