News & Insights

Our latest news and thinking

child at sink Unsplash 502 324 BRE Group

Changing the way we heat our homes to meet net zero: putting households at the centre.

According to BRE research, sixty two percent of British home owners wouldn’t feel at all confident explaining how a heat pump works and in Autumn 2022 a UK government survey ...
Detail From A Living Wall BRE Group

BRE consults on net zero BREEAM update

BRE launches consultation to seek views on a major update to its world-leading sustainability assessment method, BREEAM ...
Vesteda Schullenburg ftd image BRE Group

27,500 Dutch homes provide BREEAM’s largest single certification yet

Vesteda, a Dutch residential investor has achieved the single largest real estate sustainability certification in the world, through BRE’s leading certification scheme, BREEAM ...

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
People in office ftd image BRE Group

NABERS UK Energy for Offices expanded to whole buildings & tenancies

BRE launches an expansion to NABERS UK Energy for Offices – the leading energy efficiency rating scheme for existing office building to include Whole Building and Tenancy ratings.

news
solar panels ftd image BRE Group

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

news
Sustainable housing 500 324 BRE Group

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

insights, Planning
Gillian Charlesworth CEO BRE BRE Group

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
Row of houses iStock841269144 502 324 BRE Group

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
solar panels ftd image BRE Group

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

news
Green buiding ftd image BRE Group

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

insights
Man fixing a heat pump 502 324 iStock 1438135787 BRE Group

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

news
BRE Science Park 502 324 BRE Group

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.

news
Gillian Charlesworth CEO BRE BRE Group

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.

news
Train station ftd image BRE Group

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

news
Green buiding ftd image BRE Group

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.

news

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?

featured insights

The Biophilic Office