Currently, environmental sustainability is one of the significant concerns, with humans realising the need to create a sustainable building environment for sustenance. 

Various measures have been undertaken in Australia to promote the cause, among which NABERS energy has come across as a useful addition. 

But what is NABERS, and how can it be beneficial? Let’s learn the answers to these questions by going through this article. 

What is NABERS?

NABERS is a standardised building rating system used in Australia to evaluate the sustainability performance of commercial buildings across the country. 

The National Australian Built Environment Ratings System, or NABERS, provides offices, shopping complexes, hospitals, and hotels with a star rating out of six. 

One star on the NABERS scale signifies the lowest rating, with six stars being the highest, which indicates a market-leading building showcasing exceptional environmental efficiency. 

Moreover, a building with a six-star rating significantly reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 

The three-star NABERS rating reflects an ‘average’ rating, with the building having the ability to perform better in terms of efficiency index. 

Like NABERS, the NatHERS Assessment also applies to Australian residential buildings and helps measure their sustainability index.

Here are the vital criteria that an assessor looks into while performing the NABERS assessment to rate an office building:

• Energy: This metric measures the building’s energy efficiency, including the lights, air conditioning, lifts, and other energy-consuming components.
• Water: The assessor measures the water used in the building or the gallons recycled.
• Indoor Environment Quality: It’s another important element as it reflects the occupier’s and visitor’s comfort level in the building. The parameters include lights, temperature, air quality, acoustics, etc.
• Waste: This metric looks into the waste a building generates and the amount of waste getting recycled. In addition, a NABERS-certified assessor can also consider the connection between waste and the recycling supply chain. 

What are the Benefits of NABERS for Occupiers?

The following are the benefits that a building occupier can avail of with the NABERS energy rating system: 

Proven energy and cost savings from the NABERS database

An official NABERS rating certificate can help the building occupier identify cost-saving opportunities. 

Data suggests that office buildings using NABERS to measure their sustainability performance regularly increased their energy efficiency by 8.5% and water efficiency by approximately 1.1%. 

Achieving these figures can save 383,300 tonnes of greenhouse emissions and around 1.6 billion litres of water annually.

Higher performance utility

Now that the NABERS rating measures the building’s actual environmental performance in its operation, it is the ideal tool for benchmarking, monitoring, and improving its performance. 

Moreover, it’s known that NABERS is the only environmental tool that provides a reliable commercial building benchmark compared to other building rating systems in Australia. 

NABERS help owners and tenants meet the expectations for greener buildings and workplaces by encouraging them to minimise environmental impacts. 

In addition, the NABERS rating allows businesses to optimise their triple bottom line, i.e., social, financial, and environmental outcomes, to achieve long-term sustainable development.

Buildings with Higher Value 

Buildings achieving higher NABERS ratings can also enjoy reduced vacancy, increased incentives, and reduced outgoings. 

Furthermore, a five-star NABERS energy rating can deliver about a 9% green premium in value, and buildings with a 3 or 4.5-star NABERS rating can avail of a 2-3% green premium.

The hotels with a lower NABERS rating have higher discount percentages for rents, with a 9% discount in Sydney and a 6% discount in Canberra. 

On the other hand, the hotels with higher NABERS ratings enjoyed a 3% premium rent, proving their increased value and demand in possible markets. 

While the hotels with lower NABERS ratings couldn’t fill their places, the higher-rated ones couldn’t offer places to each visitor.

A strong market recognition

A higher NABERS rating is widely recognised in Australia for excellent environmental achievement. In a tight property market, you can distinguish your building from the rest by achieving a high NABERS rating.

NABERS can give companies the confidence to promote their green or sustainability initiatives while reporting their building performance via reputable government certification. 

Moreover, a NABERS rating is an ideal means for the building owners to show how committed he is to environmental performance, creating the opportunity to improve rental returns from guests and tenants.

How Can Building Occupiers Improve NABERS Rating?

To achieve the above-discussed benefits, it’s essential for building occupiers to achieve a higher NABERS rating. 

Now, you might wonder how to improve your building’s NABERS rating. Below are some measures you can adopt to obtain a higher NABERS rating:

• Install energy-efficient lighting. Not many know that switching to compact fluorescent or highly efficient LED lamps or luminaires can reduce the building’s electricity use for lighting by at most 75%. 
• Install insulation, shading, and double glazing to minimise the need for air conditioning.
• Ensure your building management system allows for the control of heating and cooling systems and lighting, and see to it they are managed effectively.

Heating, ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems are reported to account for the majority of energy costs in any commercial building. 

So, to further increase your building energy efficiency and secure a higher NABERS rating, you can consider how your HVAC system is being utilised. For example:

• Turning on the HVAC system in your building in the morning and turning it off in the afternoon can save at most 10% of your total HVAC energy consumption at a low cost.
• In addition, replacing air conditioners that have surpassed ten years of their lifespan can reduce electricity use for heating and cooling by an average of 10% to 15%.

To wrap up it all!

The Australian government tries its best to encourage building owners to reduce carbon emissions and contribute to curbing climate change. 

Therefore, it launched a vital star-rating tool, i.e., NABERS. It is an internationally recognised rating tool that accurately measures a building’s energy efficiency. 

Designing, constructing, or renovating the building to achieve a higher NABERS rating can help you avail of the above-discussed benefits. 

Alternatively, you can opt for the NatHERS Assessment to determine your residential building’s energy efficiency score and reap multiple financial, environmental, and economic benefits. 

Regardless of your rating tool, always work with a trained assessor to identify areas for improvement and make your dwelling more energy-efficient and sustainable.