NABERS

A key feature of the initiative is the use of independent 'Accredited Assessors' to conduct ratings. Assessors are required to attend training, pass an exam and complete two supervised assessments before they receive full accreditation.[1] While there are no formal pre-requisites to attend the training, most Assessors have experience in the building services, property or energy management industries. Building owners and tenants can use the online 'self-assessment' tool, however they cannot promote these results. Only ratings that have been certified by the NABERS National Administrator can be promoted using the NABERS trademark.

The vision statement of NABERS is 'To support a more sustainable built environment through a relevant, reliable and practical measure of building performance'.

There are a number of building environmental certification systems across the world, such as LEED, Green Star, BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and Display Energy Certificates (DECs). The key features of NABERS as a system are that it is based on performance rather than design, assessments are carried out by third-party 'Accredited Assessors', it is based on third party verifiable data (such as utility bills), ratings undergo government quality assurance checks and it distinguishes between the environmental impact of a building's shared services and its tenancies. While other rating systems across the world share some of these features, none share all of them.

NABERS Energy for offices is considered by many to have been successful, as over 82% of the Australian national office market has now been rated with either a base building or whole building rating. Factors behind the success of the tool are largely attributed to its ability to differentiate between the base building and tenants energy end uses and strong government support.[5] Far fewer tenancy energy ratings have been conducted however and there has also been far less uptake of the other tools.

While NABERS Energy is a voluntary rating scheme for buildings, its success has been at least partly driven by its extensive use in energy initiatives by government and industry throughout Australia. Some programs include:

• The NSW Government Resource Efficiency Policy (GREP): The most recent iteration of a series of NSW government procurement policies that set out NABERS targets in government leasing criteria. In the GREP, government tenants require a building to have a 4.5-star NABERS rating. It also states a 4.5-star energy rating as a minimum criterion for government data centres. Similar policies are in place other states and territories, as well as the Australian government (the 'Energy Efficiency in Government Operations' policy).
• Emissions Reduction Fund: the centrepiece of Australia's carbon abatement strategy, began operating in early 2015.[6] NABERS Energy is used in the commercial buildings methodology, to calculate and ensure the carbon abatement achieved by project proponents is real [7]
• Energy Savings Scheme (ESS): a New South Wales state energy program where commercial buildings can obtain Energy Saving Certificates (ESC) for energy efficiency projects, which can be sold to the market. A NABERS Energy ratings are used to demonstrate the energy savings achieved by the project.[8]
• Green Building Fund: a former Australian Government program, where commercial buildings could obtain up to 50% of capital funding for energy efficiency projects. The program used NABERS Energy ratings to ensure the savings effectively occurred, as well as to calculate the total amount of energy and emissions saved.[9]
• City Switch: an initiative that supports commercial office tenants to improve energy efficiency, run by a coalition of local councils throughout Australia. City Switch uses NABERS Energy as its key indicator of energy performance and provides assistance to its members to achieve a rating of 4 stars or higher [10]

• The Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010: Australian government legislation that requires owners of office buildings to disclose the energy efficiency of the building to prospective tenants or buyers. Known operationally as the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program, a certified NABERS Energy rating is the main energy efficiency indicator required of building owners.[11]

• NABERSNZ: The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) in New Zealand licensed NABERS in 2013 to create NABERSNZ.
• The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB): The GRESB is a global standard for portfolio-level sustainability assessment in real estate. The GRESB benchmark addresses issues including corporate sustainability strategy, policies and objectives, environmental performance monitoring, and the use of high-quality voluntary rating tools such as NABERS.
• The Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI): The CBI creates Climate Bonds Standards, which provide a Fair Trade-like labelling system for bonds, designed to make it easier for investors to work out what sorts of investments genuinely contribute to addressing climate change. Data from NABERS Energy rating reports can be used in Climate Bond reporting under the Climate Bonds Standard for Low Carbon Commercial Buildings.
• NABERS IE in India: One NABERS Indoor Environment rating has been conducted in India, at the Paraharpur Business Centre. The rating was certified in May 2015.

Australian government legislation that requires owners of office buildings to disclose the energy efficiency of the building to prospective tenants or buyers. Known operationally as the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program, a certified NABERS Energy rating is the main energy efficiency indicator required of building owners.[12]