NABERS or the National Australian Built Environment Rating System rates the operational environmental performance of buildings. Originally established for the commercial office sector as the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR) scheme, NABERS now includes:
• For offices: NABERS Energy (previously ABGR), NABERS Water, NABERS Waste and NABERS Indoor Environment
• For hotels: NABERS Energy and Water
• For households: NABERS Home.

NABERS for retail centres is yet to be launched. 

NABERS Energy and NABERS Water benchmark the energy and water performance of commercial office space on a scale from 1 to 5 stars, for either the base building (house services such as air conditioning, foyer lights, lifts and car park lights and ventilation), the office tenancies, or for the whole building. Many leading office building owners are aiming for 4.5 stars, base building, across their entire portfolios within the next few years.  

NABERS rates the actual greenhouse gas emissions of your tenancy, base building, or whole building using energy and water bills over 12 months. Other factors assessed for a NABERS Energy rating include the location and size of your tenancy or building, as well as typical occupancy hours and the number of computers. By contrast, the Green Star environmental tools managed by the Green Building Council are design tools used to manage a broader set of environmental outcomes in the design phase of an office building or office.

Why obtain a NABERS rating?

Big Switch Projects recommends a NABERS rating for clients from the commercial office sector (both tenancies and buildings) as part of our Energy Efficiency Reviews. They’re a valuable first step in assessing actual energy performance and your office’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions in comparison with other similar facilities. The results can be communicated to staff and used in corporate reporting as they are externally verified.

A NABERS rating can also be used as a baseline to measure future improvements in energy performance against and, in NSW, it’s the baseline for creating Energy Savings Scheme credits.

Next year, mandatory disclosure of office building energy efficiency, both for the base building and for tenancies, will be introduced in Australia. Whenever a commercial office building with a Net Lettable Area (NLA) of 2000 m2 or more, or any part of such a building that is greater than 2000 m2 NLA, is to be sold, leased, or sub-leased, an appropriate energy efficiency rating and assessment report of the base building and the tenancy must be disclosed. The new Building Energy Efficiency Certificate will use the NABERS Energy rating.

Ausindustry’s Green Building Fund uses NABERS Energy as the baseline against which office building energy efficiency improvements are measured. Without a rating, you will not be able to apply for funding.

CitySwitch Green Office
CitySwitch Green Office is a national tenant energy efficiency program run in partnership between the cities of Sydney, North Sydney, Parramatta, Willoughby, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane and the NSW Department of Environment & Climate Change and Sustainability Victoria. Signatories to the CitySwitch Green Office program commit to undertake and maintain a 4 star or higher NABERS Energy tenancy rating.

Big Switch Projects is a founding CitySwitch Sydney and Adelaide signatory. Our Sydney office has a 5 star NABERS Energy rating.

We have accredited NABERS assessors in both Sydney and Adelaide who can rate your office building or tenancies.  Call us on 02 8270 7777 or email info@bigswitchprojects.com.au to discuss your needs.