News & Insights

Our latest news and thinking

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BRE calls for a longer term approach to support planning and investment, as UK Government announces climate strategy

BRE responds to the UK Government's climate strategy, with Gillian Charlesworth, CEO of BRE commenting that "although there are welcome steps towards certainty for business, a longer term approach to ...
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Why we welcome the National Planning Policy Framework evolving to reflect carbon

Only by understanding the full carbon impact of all planned developments, including embodied and operational carbon emissions, can the planning system begin to incentivise carbon neutral or – even better ...
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BRE responds to the UK Spring budget

Gillian Charlesworth, CEO of BRE responded to the Spring Budget, commenting, "Some promising announcements made by the Chancellor in terms of driving energy efficiency in local areas and business. Granting ...

Poor housing costs the NHS £1.4bn a year

Our findings reveal that 2.6 million homes in England, 11% of the country’s housing stock, are categorised as ‘poor quality’.

According to BRE’s analysis, more than half (£857 million) of this annual NHS treatment bill can be attributed to defects in homes which expose residents to excess cold, while the second biggest cost to the NHS comes from hazards which cause people to fall and injure themselves, often on staircases.

Download the report

The cost of poor housing report from BRE
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Tackling cold homes would save the NHS £540mn per year, new BRE research reveals

New analysis of the latest English Housing Survey data by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) finds that excessively cold homes in England could be costing the NHS £540mn a year
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BRE supports Sustainable Energy Association’s decarbonisation report

The Sustainable Energy Association (SEA) and Partners’ latest report ‘A Technology-Agnostic Approach to Heat and Buildings Policy’, that has been supported by BRE, details the benefits of a technology-agnostic approach

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BRE responds to the Net Zero Review

The UK Government has published the review of net zero targets and policy by former minister Chris Skidmore MP, which BRE fed into. The review is comprehensive, with sensible and

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BRE calls on UK government to improve the energy efficiency of Britain’s homes.

BRE is calling on government to improve consumer awareness of heat pumps, accelerate the roll-out of insulation, and invest to scale-up the heat pump market. New polling from the Building

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Breakthrough technology at BRE will show how businesses can reduce costs as flexible energy market booms

The Building Research Establishment (BRE), has announced a collaboration with Power Transition to host a Smart MicroGrid Demonstrator at BRE’s Science Park in Watford.

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BRE comments on the UK’s Energy Bill

Today’s announcement from Grant Shapps, the Business and Energy Secretary, committing to the government’s Energy Bill is a major step forward in ensuring Britain’s energy security.

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BRE’s research and expertise supports Defra’s indoor air quality report

BRE has provided technical content and expertise on indoor air quality (IAQ) for Defra’s indoor air quality report. People spend a substantial amount of their lives indoors (often 80 to

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How BREEAM can help organisations fulfil EU Taxonomy requirements

The BREEAM Guide to the EU Taxonomy and BREEAM, shows how the BREEAM suite of products can be used by stakeholders to save time in meeting the EU Taxonomy requirements.

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BRE comments on the UK government’s Autumn 2022 budget statement

Following the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement announced earlier today, Gillian Charlesworth, CEO of the Building Research Establishment (BRE), commented: “Today’s announcement by the Chancellor of a new long-term ambition and funding
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Help test the Built Environment Carbon Database

The Built Environment Carbon Databsase is entering the testing phase to make sure that the service is fit for purpose and is aligned with industry practice. We're now calling for

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Help us push for a net zero future and inform the development of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard

The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard coalition, which includes BRE, is calling for evidence from UK built environment industry practitioners.

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BRE joins over 900 organisations by signing the Race at Work Charter

BRE has joined over 900 employers in signing up to the Race at Work Charter, an initiative designed by Business in the Community (BITC) for businesses to collectively commit to

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Frameworks to build a better Britain

Frameworks to build a better Britain is a BRE series of roundtables and interviews with planners, architects, policy-makers, and construction experts about the future of the built environment.

Read our latest roundtable discussion, hosted in Manchester on the question: How can Britain’s Built Environment Tackle Social Exclusion?

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