Environmental sustainability is increasingly becoming a top priority for data centers in addition to their current focus areas of performance & reliability. Expansion in digital infrastructure imposes conflicting demands on increasing operational efficiency without sacrificing environmental stewardship. BREEAM certification gives data centers a structured sustainability plan to meet this equilibrium. It presents a systematic way of sustainable design. Data center operations can leverage this certification as an end-to-end sustainability evaluation tool with stakeholders putting more emphasis on carbon footprints and energy consumption. This article discusses BREEAM certification advantages and key methodologies to implement its measures effectively.

The Fundamentals of BREEAM for Data Centers

BREEAM uses a holistic assessment approach that has been adapted to the specific challenges of the digital infrastructure. It encompasses key sustainability factors to ensure both higher environmental performance and operational excellence in green data centers. This part delves into the essence of the certification and how it applies when considering contemporary facilities:

What Is BREEAM Certification?

BREEAM is the world’s longest-standing framework to assess, rate, & certify sustainable buildings. The UK-based Building Research Establishment (BRE) developed this assessment system to quantify several environmental factors. It includes energy efficiency, water use, material selection, pollution reduction, and conditions friendly to users. Furthermore, the green building certification adjusts its assessment criteria particularly for data centers – considering the special requirements of data centers such as 24/7 operation, cooling needs, and redundancy systems for applicability. Its certification levels are from pass to Outstanding. Each represents increasingly greater standards of sustainability.  

BREEAM vs. Other Green Certifications

While there are multiple green building certificates, BREEAM has definite benefits for use in data centers. Unlike LEED (which originates from the US), BREEAM is also European in genesis and more harmonious with EU directives and rules. It permits more flexibility within meeting criteria. This allows technical ingenuity. The certification puts great focus on operations-oriented energy efficiency and has defined procedures for data center evaluation. Moreover, its international variants make it suitable for various regional conditions while maintaining crucial sustainability principles. 

Core Assessment Categories for Data Centers

BREEAM assesses data centers based on nine key categories, each with weighting according to environmental importance. Energy carries the highest weighting (19%), given the energy-intensive operations of data centers. Management (12%) addresses operating practices and commissioning. Health and Wellbeing (15%) addresses workers’ comfort and air quality. The others that are addressed are transport, water, materials, waste, land use, and pollution. Other specialized measures that are applied for data centers include Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE), and resilience of infrastructure. This is done to guarantee that sustainability is obtained from every possible aspect and not only energy efficiency. 

BREEAM’s Approach to Resilience and Adaptation

Data centers must have remarkable resilience since they must operate continually during all-natural events. The methodology awards points to sites that respond to climate change including the risk appraisal of flooding, thermal modeling under future climate scenarios and dependable disaster recovery planning. The method of certification addresses the dependability and resource efficiency of the redundancy system. In addition, the assessment system awards points to designs that minimize environmental impacts during normal operations and emergencies. This approach maintains data center sustainability while implementing resilience measures as needed.

Business Benefits of BREEAM Certification

Data center owners/operators can achieve targeted business advantages by way of BREEAM certification that goes beyond environmental sustainability. The benefits of the certification span from financial performance and market positioning to organizational rapport with stakeholders. The following section delivers the core business arguments in favor of pursuing the certification:

Operational Cost Reductions

Reduced operating costs are common in data centers that attain BREEAM certification. Energy efficiency solutions reduce electricity use which is the largest operating cost for data centers. In addition, case studies indicate power savings of 20-30% in certified facilities in comparison to standard designs. Data center buildings that follow water conservation techniques further reduce utility costs. Also, good quality management and commissioning practices reduce system failures and maintenance costs. This leads to fewer downtime intervals. So, these savings usually offset the investment in certification within 2-5 years. This makes it financially advantageous over the lifecycle of a facility. 

Enhanced Market Positioning and Tenant Attraction

With sustainability becoming a global priority for organizations, BREEAM certification gives a competitive advantage in the data center industry. Large cloud providers and businesses increasingly factor environmental credentials into their supplier selection. A BREEAM certification provides independently verified evidence of commitment to sustainability. This makes certified facilities more desirable to these customers. Moreover, the tiered system of the certification enables facilities to differentiate themselves according to performance level. Highly certified green data centers can charge a premium and attract environmentally conscious clients. This gives a distinct market advantage. 

Regulatory Compliance and Future-Proofing

BREEAM certification gives data centers the necessary tools to manage European environmental regulations which are getting stricter every year. The EUs Green Deal and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will also necessitate stricter environmental performance reporting. The comprehensive assessment system of the leading European green standard addresses these requirements in advance to reduce compliance risks. In addition, those facilities that get certified under low-carbon schemes will receive shielding from increasing carbon tax costs and international emissions trading growth. This future-proofing aspect provides considerable long-term value to stakeholders.

Improved Stakeholder Relations

The BREEAM certification framework generates positive impacts in establishing relations with principal investors, community stakeholders, and employee staff. In addition, the certification ensures investors that businesses operate with effective management practices. This can entice ESG-based funding. Facilities that are certified also have greater public acceptance by the local population around them because they address neighborhood concerns regarding resource consumption and environmental effects. In addition, the health and wellbeing focus of the certification enhances working conditions for employees, which in turn can improve recruitment and staff retention. The third-party verified, transparent character of the assessment framework also lends credibility to claims of sustainability, backing corporate social responsibility.

Implementing BREEAM standards in data centers: Strategies for Success

Obtaining BREEAM certification demands planning and execution at strategic levels across the data center life cycle. From design through operations, certain methodologies can optimize certification achievement. The following section presents real-world strategies for data center operators seeking certification:

Early Integration in Design Process

The optimal result and cost-effective outcomes result from the integration of BREEAM requirements during the initial design phase. The initial process of integration begins with the choice of a competent BREEAM Assessor. This individual guides the design team at the concept stage. Furthermore, sustainability objectives before the commencement of detailed design facilitate designers to choose essential aspects such as building location, orientation, and system architecture that align with the certification requirements. Moreover, early-stage modeling helps to indicate the most effective methodological strategies for every specific project context. Early adoption of preventive measures reduces the requirement for expensive redesigns thus resulting in lower certification costs between 15 and 20 percent. 

Tailored Approaches for New vs. Existing Facilities

BREEAM certification offers distinct assessment methods for buildings that are being constructed and those already built. The BREEAM New Construction scheme facilitates new data center construction by evaluating design and construction factors that dictate their operational performance. The current facilities should take into account BREEAM In-Use certification since it looks at actual operating data while ignoring initial design plans. Moreover, BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-out is the assessment approach for projects that undertake refurbishment. This system has particular documentation requirements and it indicates where the interventions must be used. Therefore, for current facilities, the analysis of operational data systems must commence before the assessment timetable. 

Effective Documentation and Monitoring Systems

A successful certification process is dependent solely on effective documentation and active monitoring systems. Building Management Systems with tracking functions for key performance indicators in all categories will provide the necessary assessment data. Documentation needs to be structured against BREEAM’s requirements for evidence, with a clear assignment of responsibility for information gathering. Additionally, internal audits regularly assist in identifying gaps before formal audits. Cloud-based systems that consolidate different systems’ sustainability data can make this simpler. Documentation must be kept during the period of certification.

Staff Training and Engagement

The success of BREEAM operations largely depends on human participation. Training program development for facility managers as well as technical staff members must incorporate both requirement and sustainable operational procedures. Creating sustainability champions within an organization is capable of sustaining progress as well as addressing operational hindrances. The strategy of engagement has to incorporate vendors and service providers. This is done to ensure that their operations are aligned with the certification objectives. Organizations remain dedicated to the quest for certification targets through organized communication that shows certification progress reports. Training post-certification ensures that operational procedures continue to serve the set objectives of sustainability. 

To Sum Up

BREEAM certification equips data centers with a framework to balance environmental responsibility with business performance. For professionals seeking deeper knowledge on sustainable data center design, the 2nd Data Centre Design, Engineering & Construction Summit in Barcelona, Spain (April 10-11, 2025) offers valuable insights. This event features industry leaders discussing innovative sustainability approaches, including BREEAM implementation strategies. Register now to connect with experts dedicated to advancing sustainable data center practices.