Insights · 6 min read
BREEAM Wat 03: How Aqua-Scope meets the leak-detection requirements
BREEAM is one of the world’s most widely used assessment schemes for sustainable buildings. In its Water chapter, credit Wat 03 — Leak Detection requires a permanent, automated leak-detection system. Aqua-Scope technology meets every property listed in the assessment manual — this article shows exactly where and how.
What is BREEAM?
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is the oldest and most widely used international assessment system for sustainable buildings. In Germany the local adaptation BREEAM DE Neubau is applied. The scheme rates energy, water, materials, health and ecology — with the goal of measurably reducing resource use and environmental impact over the entire life cycle of a building.
Credit Wat 03 — Leak detection and prevention
The BREEAM manual states the objective clearly: “Reduce the impact of water leaks that would otherwise likely go undetected." To achieve the credit, BREEAM requires a system that detects a major water leak along the main water pipes inside the building and/or between the building and the utility water meter.
According to the assessment manual, the detection system must have the following properties:
- 1.a A permanent automated water-leak detection system that alerts the building users to the leak, or
- 1.b a built-in automated diagnostic procedure for leak detection;
- 1.c activation when the flow at the water meter or data-collection point exceeds a predefined maximum for a defined period;
- 1.d identification of different flow — and therefore leakage — rates, e.g. sustained high and/or low consumption, over predefined time periods;
- 1.e programmable to match the water-consumption criteria of the user or owner;
- 1.f the ability to suppress false alarms, e.g. from the normal operation of large water consumers such as chillers.
The manual explicitly expects a system that “identifies flow rates higher than usual at a main meter and/or sub-meters" — it does not have to detect leaks along a specific pipe section. This is precisely the domain of Aqua-Scope technology.
How Aqua-Scope technology meets the requirements
The Aqua-Scope Monitor is installed directly behind the main water meter or on the main water pipe — exactly where BREEAM locates the detection system. It combines highly sensitive acoustic leak detection with continuous flow analysis and fully covers requirements 1.a through 1.f.
- Re 1.a / 1.b — Permanent & automated. Aqua-Scope runs continuously and fully automatically. A built-in diagnostic procedure analyses the plumbing installation around the clock; detected events are pushed to the user via app notification, e-mail and optional smart-home integrations (Z-Wave, MQTT, KNX).
- Re 1.c — Threshold at the data-collection point. The sensor detects sustained high flow. Combined with the Water Guard shut-off motor, the system automatically closes the main valve as soon as a configurable threshold is exceeded for a defined time.
- Re 1.d — Multiple leakage rates. Aqua-Scope distinguishes between micro-leaks (sustained low flow, e.g. dripping valves), continuous consumption (permanently running water) and pipe bursts (sudden high flow) using dedicated, time-based detection logic for each case.
- Re 1.e — Programmable. All thresholds, time windows and alarm rules are freely configurable via app and web interface. The system can be adapted to the individual consumption profile of a building — from a single-family house to a commercial property.
- Re 1.f — False-alarm suppression. Schedules, exception windows and self-learning usage profiles reliably suppress false alarms caused by regular large consumers such as irrigation systems, chillers or cleaning cycles.
The result: Aqua-Scope offers planners, building owners and BREEAM auditors a ready-to-use, retrofittable system with which the BREEAM credit for Wat 03 — Leak Detection can be reliably achieved.