BREEAM ENE04 Low Carbon Design
Walker Energy Analysis carries out the passive design analysis and low and zero carbon feasibility study needed for BREEAM’s ENE04 credit, modelled in IES Virtual Environment. ENE04 is worth up to three credits: two for passive design, one for the LZC feasibility study, and both need to be in place early enough to actually influence the design, not written up afterwards to justify decisions already made..
The Three Parts of ENE04
Passive design analysis applies to every building targeting this credit. It demonstrates that passive measures, thermal mass, shading, orientation, natural ventilation, deliver a meaningful reduction in energy demand. This is thermal modelling work we’re usually already doing on a project for Part L or HEA04, extended to cover this credit rather than started from nothing.
Free cooling is a separate, additional credit, and this is the part that only applies where the building relies on free cooling strategies rather than active cooling. It can only be awarded once the passive design credit has already been achieved, and requires the passive design analysis to specifically identify and demonstrate viable free cooling opportunities.
The LZC feasibility study is a further, independent credit, looking at which low or zero carbon technologies are genuinely feasible for the site, with the reasoning and carbon savings for whichever option is selected. This has to be completed by the end of Concept Design, RIBA Stage 2. Leave it later than that and BREEAM requires an explanation for any option ruled out due to the delay, and if no LZC technology ends up specified as a result, the credit is withheld entirely.
- Dynamic thermal modelling in IES VE to quantify the energy reduction from passive design measures, applicable to any building
- Free cooling assessment as an additional credit, where the building’s cooling strategy makes it applicable
- LZC feasibility study covering the technologies appropriate to the site, with carbon savings and justification for the selected option
- Reporting structured for your BREEAM assessor, cross-referenced with related HEA04 or Part L evidence where it overlaps
Timing Matters More on This Credit Than Most
All three components of ENE04 are early-stage requirements. The passive design analysis needs to be considered at RIBA Stage 2, while orientation, massing and glazing are still open to change, since assessing passive measures after the design is fixed defeats the purpose of the credit. The LZC feasibility study has a hard deadline of the end of Concept Design. If any of this starts late, you risk losing options that were otherwise available, or losing the credit altogether.
Why Work With Us
We’re a specialist energy consultancy. This is the core of what we do, not a sideline. Every assessment runs through IES VE as standard, we turn changes around quickly, and results come back in a format your team and BREEAM assessor can use immediately.
FAQs
Q: Do I need all three parts of ENE04, or can I target just one?
A: They’re independent credits, with one exception: the free cooling credit can only be awarded once the passive design credit has already been achieved. Passive design and the LZC feasibility study can each be pursued on their own.
Q: Does every building qualify for the free cooling credit?
A: No, it only applies where the building relies on free cooling strategies rather than active cooling systems, and it depends on the passive design credit being achieved first.
Q: Can the passive design analysis reuse our Part L or HEA04 modelling?
A: Often, yes. It depends on the same thermal performance data, so where that modelling already exists for Part L or HEA04, we extend it to cover ENE04 rather than starting again.
Q: What happens if the LZC feasibility study is done later than Concept Design?
A: BREEAM requires an explanation for any LZC technology ruled out because of the late timing. If the delay results in no LZC technology being installed at all, the credit is withheld.
Get Your ENE04 Credits Secured Early
Talk to Walker Energy Analysis at Concept Design, before the passive design, free cooling and LZC options that could win these credits are designed out.
Does your project need something else?