The first major UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (UKNZCBS) conference dissected the learnings of 213 trials of the pilot version, from 130 organisations.
‘The standard is by the industry, for the industry. After the extensive learnings from the pilot, we hope to hit the ground running next year,’ said David Partridge, Chair of the UKNZCBS Governance Board.
Taking place on 6 November at the Royal College of Physicians in London, the conference marked a milestone in the Standard’s evolution following a year of pilot testing across a diverse portfolio of building types.
Attended by engineers, developers, and policymakers, the event offered detailed insights into early lessons and real-world applications with case studies and technical sessions exploring energy use, embodied carbon, and verification methods.
In a major development, Partridge announced that the Standard has selected Bureau Veritas to work in partnership on finalising the verification framework ahead of Version 1, due for release this winter. Once appointed, Bureau Veritas will oversee verifier training and accreditation, ensuring independent assessment of buildings’ ‘Net Zero Carbon Aligned’ claims.
Katie Clemence-Jackson, CEO of UKNZCBS Ltd said Bureau Veritas’ expertise would ‘bring much-needed robustness and credibility’ to net zero claims.
A further key addition to the standard highlighted by Clemence-Jackson; the introduction of an ‘on track’ check at practical completion. ‘Feedback from projects has shown that at completion, teams want to demonstrate a building is on the right track to meet the Standard,’ she said. ‘It’s vital this remains outcomes-based. At that stage you don’t yet have performance data, so the check doesn’t mean a building is fully aligned, but it confirms it’s on the right path.’
Clemence-Jackson told the conference: ‘Your actions and power are the reason we are able to be here presenting today. The collaboration we have seen has made the standard possible. We look to you again to use that collective power: start getting your buildings on target and help us drive transformation for what the industry needs.’
