What are the Benefits of NABERS?

21 December 2022

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Environmental sustainability is one of the biggest concerns in recent times, where humans realize the need to take care of their building environment for sustenance. Numerous measures have been undertaken to promote the cause, among which NABERS brings a useful addition.

Let us delve into the details of this sustainability standard for greater understanding.

What is NABERS Rating?

A building sustainability system prevalent in Australia, NABERS Rating refers to a standardized building rating system that evaluates and watches over the sustainability performance of all commercial buildings across the country.

NABERS is the abbreviation for the National Australian Built Environment Ratings System.

Running in consonance with the rating system associated with the numerous appliances, NABERS gives various buildings, like shopping malls, hospitals, offices, and hotels, a rating out of six.

A one-star on NABERS is the lowest, while A six-star gives any commercial building its highest rank. The six-start emphasizes the greater sustainability efficiency of the concerned buildings, setting them as examples for other buildings in the country buildings to follow.

The six-star rating significantly reduces energy consumption and, consequently, greenhouse gas emissions. The buildings with a three-star rating have great scope to perform better in the efficiency index and make the necessary alterations to achieve the desired rating.

Just like NABERS, the BASIX certificate is applicable for residential construction.

There are a few criteria that NABERS looks into for giving out the rating judgment about the various buildings;

Energy: The metric measures the energy efficiency of the building, including the lights, lifts, air conditioning, and other components in use.
Water: The water in use or the gallons recycled gets measured.
Waste: The metric looks into the waste generated by the building and the amount that gets recycled. Their connection with the recycling supply chain also gets considered.
Indoor Environment Quality: The Indoor Environment Quality is of primary importance as that reflects the comfort level of the visitors in the building. The parameters include temperature, lights, acoustics or sounds, and air quality.

Also Read: 3 Easy Ways To Increase NatHERS Star Rating of Your Residential Dwelling

What makes the rating system unique is the specific analysis of every building. They compare one building with its similar examples and point out the elements that the concerned owner or manager can improve.

The NABERS rating has a validity of 12 months. The NABERS accredited accessors also consider the operational efficiencies and fluctuations owing to the changing seasons during the evaluation. Throughout the seasons, the rating will look into the appliance uses and the overall greenhouse gas emission of the building.

Is NABERS Compulsory for Every Commercial Building?

The NSW Office for Environment and Heritage manages the NABERS rating under the commonwealth as well as the territory and state governments.

While NABERS is voluntary, it is an important part of the BEEC certificate. BEEC certificate is a mandatory requirement for commercial buildings. The Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) Program makes it compulsory for most sellers and lessors of office space measuring 1000 square meters or more to obtain an up-to-date Building Energy Efficiency Certificate (BEEC).

This is essential to demonstrate legal compliance with Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010.

BASIX certificate, on the other hand, is mandatory for residential buildings. You won't get the building permit without a BASIX certificate.

What are the Benefits of NABERS Rating?

NABERS rating offers an array of benefits that helps a building achieve its efficiency standards with ease. The benefits are a testimony as to why it is not just a government-imposed requirement but also a beneficial tactic for an efficient output;

Massive profits

Commercial buildings like malls and hospitals find it difficult to balance their income and expenditure due to operational expenses. Such imbalance affects their profit margin. The implementation of the NABERS protocol will ensure that the building saves huge amounts in operational costs and adds more value. Such stances lead to a greater profit margin for the concerned organization.

Increased savings

A NABERS certificate will help figure out all the possible opportunities that would contribute towards enhanced savings. Data suggests that the office buildings with an appropriate NABERS certificate increased their water efficiency by 11.5% and energy efficiency by 8.5% in a year. Energy efficiency saves 383,300 tonnes of greenhouse gases and 1.6 billion litres of water.

Buildings with higher value

Buildings with a NABERS certificate get to enjoy lower vacancies, increased incentives, and lower outgoings. While a building that has a NABERS rating between 3.5 and 5 stars enjoys a green premium value of 2-3%, one above 5 stars enjoys a whopping 9%.

The hotels with lower NABERS ratings had higher discount percentages, 9% in Sydney and 6% in Canberra. The ones with higher ratings enjoyed a 3% premium rent, which vouches for their increasing value and demand in possible markets. While the lower-value ones couldn't fill their places, these higher-rated ones couldn't offer places to every suitor.

Higher performance utility

NABERS rating helps set a benchmark for the utility performance expected from a particular building. Provided the building is failing in a few areas, the owner can make swift changes according to the review and achieve a greener and more sustainable building.

This would act as an encouragement for the tenants and owners to make their fruitful contribution to a greener future. Together it would be a great step towards sustainable development.

How to Improve NABERS Rating?

Improving the NABERS rating is quite simple. All it requires to choosing sustainable methods that consume lesser energy. One example can be replacing the high-energy-consuming halogen lights and bulbs with efficient LED ones.

Another step in the direction can be shutting down the heaters, air conditioners, and lights whenever the space is not in use. These small steps would contribute towards lesser greenhouse gas emissions.