UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Appoints Bureau Veritas for Administrator Role

• Content
• Environment & Sustainability
• UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Appoints Bureau Veritas for Administrator Role

10 November 2025

Bureau Veritas has been appointed to help develop the verification framework and methodology for the first version of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard.

For an exclusive two-year period, Bureau Veritas will be the sole administrator for the standard. The testing and certification company will initially carry out certifications in-house, alongside developing a verifier training and accreditation scheme. 

Version 1 of the scheme is set to launch in winter 2025/26. 

What is the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard?

The standard will be the first agreed methodology for defining “net-zero carbon” for buildings in the UK and is championed by BBP, BRE, the Carbon Trust, CIBSE, IStructE, LETI, RIBA, RICS, and UKGBC. 

It covers both new and existing buildings across major UK sectors, including mandatory requirements for building performance and construction quality. A range of topics are addressed, such as upfront carbon, operational energy use, avoidance of fossil fuel use on-site, renewables and refrigerants.

Building owners can already start measuring and reporting building performance against the standard’s requirements, available in the Pilot Version.

Feedback from early engagement on the standard raised the need for some form of validation that a building was on course to meet the standard at Practical Completion. Therefore, an “on track” validity check will be developed through a dedicated Working Group, with a new Annex to be launched alongside Version 1 this winter. 

Sam Wallis, Verification Lead for the Standard said: “We are working to make verification against the Standard the cornerstone of credible net zero carbon claims in the built environment. Third party verification ensures that every claim is backed by robust evidence, and can be benchmarked against real-world performance.

“With Bureau Veritas, we are working to deliver a verification framework built around credibility, rigour, usability and accessibility. The data collected will strengthen the evidence base to inform future versions of the Standard, and drive market transformation - shifting the focus from prediction to proven, measurable, low-carbon outcomes.”

Picture: a photograph showing, from left to right: Steve Highwood, Niki Hutson, Katie Clemence-Jackson and David Partridge. Image Credit: UKNZC Buildings Standard

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 10 November 2025

Share

Related Articles