BRE publishes Information Paper on environmental benchmarking for property portfolio managers

Citation

(2001), "BRE publishes Information Paper on environmental benchmarking for property portfolio managers", Facilities, Vol. 19 No. 11/12. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2001.06919kab.011

BRE publishes Information Paper on environmental benchmarking for property portfolio managers

BRE publishes Information Paper on environmental benchmarking for property portfolio managersKeywords: Environment, Benchmarking, Property managers, Sustainable development

BRE has published an Information Paper (IP) entitled: Environmental Benchmarking for Property Portfolio Managers, which describes the development of a straightforward approach to the environmental benchmarking of whole stocks of non-domestic buildings. This provides a quick and easy method for property managers to produce an environmental profile of their stock.

An environmental profile of property stock is useful for a number of reasons, not least as an integral part of the cost accounting for the portfolio. This is becoming increasingly important; as the DETR paper "Building a better quality of life – a strategy for sustainable construction" states, from 2001 commercial property occupiers may be liable to pay the Climate Change Levy or tax on their business-related carbon dioxide emissions.

The method of environmental benchmarking described in the new IP is based on BREEAM (BRE's Environment Assessment Method) but has been tailored specifically to suit the corporate needs of multiple building owners:

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  it covers fewer issues and requires less detailed data than a full BREEAM assessment (but it can be used in conjunction with BREEAM);

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  it has been designed for application to existing buildings (rather than as part of the design of a new building);

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  it is a self-assessment tool that concentrates on the issues over which the corporate property manager has some influence;

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  it is available as a database tool designed to work with existing stock management systems;

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  it currently covers a range of buildings (including offices, retail premises and banks) and is likely to be extended to cover an even wider range in the near future.

The key environmental benchmarking issues covered include:

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  energy (as carbon dioxide);

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  pollution (refrigerants);

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  transport;

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  water;

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  waste;

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  management issues;

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  longevity (age of buildings).

For each issue, the building is compared with benchmarks that define "poor", "typical" and "good" performance. Then, by combining and weighting the issues (using principles developed in BREEAM), an overall environmental score is calculated. The whole stock can be examined and a profile drawn up, which displays the performance of the whole stock and the average environmental score for the whole stock. This method was the result of a cost-shared project through the DETR's Partners in Innovation scheme; the partners involved were Boots plc, BT plc, John Laing Property, Prudential Portfolio Managers Ltd and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc.

IP 1/01: Environmental Benchmarking for Property Portfolio Managers is available for £7.50 from the BRE online bookshop – visit the Web site www.bre.co.uk and click on "BREbookshop". Alternatively, contact CRC Customer Services. Tel: +44 (0)20 7505 6622; Fax: +44 (0)20 7505 6606.