NABERS
NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) rates the environmental performance of existing buildings on 1-5 star scale.
Ratings are available for homes, offices and hotels. Ratings for shopping centres, schools and hospitals are currently being developed. A five star rating represents best practice environmental performance, while a one-star rating indicates below average performance and opportunities for improvement.
NABERS ratings for office buildings include energy, water, waste and indoor environment. Ratings for site management (refrigerants, stormwater, toxics and landscape diversity) and transport are being developed.
Under the NSW Government Sustainability Policy office buildings, owned or tenanted by budget-dependent agencies, over 1,000m2 are required to:
- obtain a NABERS Energy and Water rating by 31 December 2008
- achieve and maintain a NABERS rating of 4.5 stars for energy and water by 1 July 2011, where cost effective
- where new or refurbished, achieve and maintain 2011 targets from 18 months of the first occupancy, where cost effective
- tenanted buildings to include Green Lease Schedule in all new or negotiated leases or when exercising a lease option, where practical
- the Government has also committed to set NABERS targets in Government office buildings for waste and indoor environment by 30 June 2009. Agencies will be advised of any requirements related to this commitment, once these targets have been set.
NABERS Ratings for Government agencies are co-ordinated by the State Property Authority (SPA).
The NABERS Office website has a wealth of information to help building owners, managers and tenants understand the waste, water, energy, greenhouse gas emissions and indoor environment performance of their building and improve ratings.