Issue 21, November 2006

The National Australian Built Environment Rating Scheme (NABERS) rates a building on the basis of its measured operational impacts.  NABERS was developed by the Commonwealth Government Department of Environment and Heritage and is now being commercialised by the NSW Government Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability (DEUS).

NABERS is a performance-rating scheme for existing buildings, either homes or commercial offices.  It is designed to provide an indication of how well a building is managing its environmental impacts.  The buildings we live and work in have a measurable impact on our environment.  NABERS OFFICE is a voluntary performance-based rating system for existing commercial office buildings and is tailored for use by building owners and managers, and building occupants.  Building owners, managers or occupants can manage and reduce their environmental impacts.  NABERS is designed to provide a simple indication of how well you are managing these environmental impacts compared with your peers and neighbours.

The operational performance data established by NABERS OFFICE ratings will complement Green Building Council of Australia Green Star ratings, establishing a valuable feedback loop to building designers, developers, tenants and owners. The vast majority environmental impacts from buildings are due to the operation of existing buildings in the marketplace. Whilst design is clearly of crucial importance, good design is no guarantee of sound environmental performance during operation.

NABERS OFFICE has been developed to:

• Rate the environmental performance of your operational office buildings;

• Provide separate ratings for office base buildings and office tenancies where appropriate;

• Provide an explicit and consistent rating system methodology, with a clear performance-based structure and methodologies and defaults where necessary;

• Provide a realistic rating scale that recognises and rewards current performance levels, and encourages and promotes best practice;

• Allow for voluntary self-assessment, with the option of seeking a certified rating from an accredited provider if desired; and

• Use measured quantities as the primary means of assessment. Where measurement is not feasible, then practice-based or default scores may be acceptable in some categories.

NABERS OFFICE is intended to rate buildings on a full range of measured operational impacts and proposes to comprise energy, water, waste, indoor environment quality, transport, local biodiversity, storm water and sewage outflow and hazardous materials. The range of environmental indicators and the associated measurement techniques have been the subject of extensive research and deliberation, drawing on international and local expertise.

Currently, NABERS OFFICE incorporates the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR) scheme for energy and greenhouse efficiency, and the NABERS OFFICE Water rating.

The NABERS OFFICE Waste rating tool is also in the development phase.  To learn more link to the NABERS site.

The NABERS OFFICE Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) rating tool is presently under final consideration and will be released in early 2007. Cetec has been assisting DEUS in the development of this rating tool using our expertise in measurement, occupant satisfaction and impacts on occupant well being and productivity.


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