BREEAM V7: RFO vs NC — What's Actually Different

BREEAM New Construction (NC) recently moved to Version 7, but Refurbishment and Fit-Out (RFO) hasn't followed yet, and half the guidance online doesn't say which scheme it's talking about... If you're reading this, you've probably hit the same wall many of our clients have. Here's the straightforward BREEAM versions breakdown, including what it means if you're planning BREEAM testing on a live project right now.

BREEAM NC V7: where things stand in 2026

BREEAM NC V7 launched in September 2025 and became mandatory for all new registrations from January 2026 — if you're registering a new project today, you're on V7, no choice about it. It's a genuinely significant rewrite. Whole-life carbon now sits at the centre of the assessment rather than the periphery, Life Cycle Assessment is mandatory for an Excellent rating, and Outstanding-rated buildings must eliminate on-site fossil fuel combustion entirely. The old Excel-based calculator tools have also been folded into a single digital BREEAM Platform.

For IAQ specifically, the Indoor Air Quality category (Hea 04 in V7 and Hea 02 in V6) has had its requirements tweaked in NC V7 — VOC emissions testing now extends to on-site applied paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants used for M&E work, where previously finished M&E products could be excluded. If you're pursuing NC V7 and need this documented properly, a BREEAM Indoor Air Quality Plan is where that starts — it sets out the ventilation, VOC and off-gassing strategy from design stage rather than trying to retrofit compliance later. To learn more about what's changed in V7, read our update blog here.

BREEAM RFO: still on the 2015 version

Here's the bit that trips people up. BREEAM RFO V7 hasn't been released. The current live version is still RFO 2015, and BRE's own guidance simply states they're "working on the timescales" for RFO and BREEAM In-Use V7, with more information to follow. If you're assessing a refurbishment or fit-out project today, you're working to 2015 criteria — not because you've missed an update, but because there isn't one yet to move to.

RFO differs from NC in scope as well as version status. NC assesses an entire building from the ground up. RFO can target only the relevant scope of works — useful when you're refurbishing three floors of a ten-storey block — and it explicitly addresses the landlord/tenant split in responsibility that a full new-build assessment doesn't need to worry about. That scope flexibility is also why we typically see RFO projects achieve Excellent less often than NC projects: working within existing building fabric and services is a harder starting point than designing from scratch.

Which scheme applies to your project?

New build, ground-up construction → NC V7, no alternative.
Refurbishment, fit-out, or partial works to an existing building → RFO 2015, until V7 arrives.
Occupied building, ongoing operational performance → BREEAM In-Use, a separate scheme entirely and also awaiting its own V7 update.

IAQ credits don't wait for the version number

Whichever scheme you're on, the fundamentals of BREEAM's Indoor Air Quality category Hea 02/04 stay the same: demonstrating fresh air provision, minimising VOC emissions from specified materials, and — where mechanical ventilation is involved — showing it's been commissioned and validated to do what the design intended. Our ventilation validation service exists specifically to evidence that last point, and it applies equally to BREEAM NC and RFO assessments.

Whether you need a fresh BREEAM Indoor Air Quality Plan or testing against an existing one, get it scoped against the correct scheme version — NC V7's tightened VOC criteria and RFO's 2015 criteria aren't interchangeable, and an assessor will flag evidence gathered against the wrong one.

With BREEAM certification, the version number attracts most of the attention, but in reality we find projects lose BREEAM credits for the same reasons they always have: ventilation isn't commissioned properly, evidence is incomplete, or air quality assessment is left until the final weeks of the programme. The scheme may evolve, but good planning and forward-thinking remain the biggest factor in achieving all of the available IAQ credits.

BREEAM air quality testing done right the first time.

Don't let scheme confusion cost you a credit. Get in touch with our team for BREEAM testing scoped correctly to NC V7 or RFO 2015, or contact us to talk through where your project sits. Our team are fully trained, certified, and experienced in conducting BREEAM Air Quality Assessments in the south of England.

Standards and version dates move quickly — always check current guidance on the BREEAM Knowledge Base or with your assessor before finalising a compliance strategy.