NABERS has officially moved to the UK!
The super-successful building operational energy performance rating scheme pioneered in Australia has launched in the UK following 18 months of detailed trials to adapt it to the UK environment.
Rating tools
Biggest overhaul of Green Star since inception
It’s the biggest overhaul of Green Star since it started in 2003 – there’s a new scoring system, framework and a clearer pathway. And the big – and long awaited – news is the push to eliminate natural gas from construction and the requirement for buildings to be fossil fuel free and 100 per cent […]
Finally, evidence that NABERS works well in Oz…but what about the UK?
Carbon reduction in buildings is critical in responding to the climate emergency, and a new academic paper reflects on the success of the NABERS energy performance rating scheme and investigates whether or not it will find similar success overseas, especially in the UK, as it has in Australia. The paper, titled A new energy efficiency […]
Corporate net-zero targets established
Corporates are on notice. To achieve science based net zero targets their goals must align with warming of no more than 1.5°C and they must neutralise their impact of residual by removing an equivalent amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide. To ensure that net-zero targets in the corporate world translate into tangible actions, the Science Based […]
The time has come for regulations that drive net zero homes
It’s time that the National Construction Code and, in NSW, BASIX, be updated to drive the trajectory to net zero energy homes. An opportunity has arisen to make major improvements in the energy efficiency and renewable energy generation of new buildings, following recent consultations and current analysis for the next update of the National Construction […]
House hunters are rarely told the home energy rating – little wonder the average is as low as 1.8 stars
Most Australian homes have been built to notoriously poor standards. The energy performance of existing homes in Victoria, for instance, averages 1.8 stars – 6 stars is mandatory for newly built homes under the 10-star Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NaTHERS). Decision-makers typically fail to appreciate the importance of a low star rating, even though […]
Why NSW’s BASIX tool needs some love
FEATURE: NSW has historically trod its own path to regulate the sustainability standards of its homes
Are green building rating tools ready for a paradigm shift?
According to Professor Janis Birkeland, green building rating tools are improving but they are only improving upon a flawed conceptual model.
NABERS to level the playing field for gas and grid electricity usage
For the first time in NABERS’ 20-plus years, the government’s environmental benchmarking scheme is updating how it accounts for the emissions profile of grid electricity to reflect booming renewable penetration.
Forza Capital’s 6 star NABERS Brisbane rating shows how to make sustainability a value add
Amid darkening clouds on the office market horizon it seems you can still find room for a major uptick in sustainability ratings and do well financially.
Volume builders locked in and ready for to pilot Green Star for homes
Metricon, Rawson Homes and Stockland are among the home builders signed up to pilot the Green Building Council of Australia’s new Green Star rating tool for homes, currently out for consultation. Residential has long trailed other asset classes on sustainability, which is why homes are the “the next logical step” for the Green Star treatment. […]
The big winners in the NABERS portfolios index 2020
It’s only the second iteration of the NABERS Sustainable Portfolios Index but it’s seen a 48 per cent jump in participation since last year. There’s now 40 portfolios disclosing their energy and water performance, with overall energy use tracking downwards across the portfolios indexed last year. This year, CBUS Property topped the charts with the […]
Whole life value tool will help create net zero buildings in the UK
In the UK the government is accelerating development of a tool for public procurement to determine whole life value – including natural, social and net zero metrics – for the post-Covid emergency recovery. This, along with the need for a broad coalition in the construction industry around net zero buildings, was one of the revelations […]
Lower bills just the tip of the iceberg for Green Star’s business case
When people think about the benefits of green buildings, low energy bills usually springs to mind.
Why energy efficient buildings should be a top climate policy priority
The UK needs a rating scheme like NABERS to bring down building energy use, writes Dr Peter Mallaburn, who was in Sydney last year to conduct a peer reviewed study of this rating tool. In a meeting with The Fifth Estate at the time he said some people believe Australia is 15 years ahead of the UK in energy efficiency.
Brush off your old CV, the NSW Building Commission is now hiring
NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler is looking to hire up to 60 professionals from the construction industry to work as building project auditors, as he fleshes out plans for a major overhaul of the state’s building industry.
Big business and finance sector taking up the B Corp challenge
Andrew Davies has been heading up the B Lab for only six months but already he can see a shift in the number and type of companies that are willingly going through the tough B Corp Certification.
Embodied carbon gets its own star rating tool – now for the revolution
Star rating tools, such as NABERS and Green Star, have been instrumental in driving Australia’s world-leading green building movement. Now there’s a new kid on the block – a star rating scheme for embodied carbon.
Esther Bailey on the role of NABERS in the climate emergency
The relentlessly optimistic Esther Bailey started a new role at NABERS in September after eight years at the City of Sydney working on the Better Building Partnership and CitySwitch.
How is your government agency performing on NABERS Energy?
Would you lease office space with a zero Star NABERS rating? We couldn’t help but wonder who would, when last week we spotted an office in the Brisbane Club Tower being offered for lease by Colliers in Brisbane with a zero NABERS rating.
NABERS cracks some of the thorniest sectors in 2018-19
EXCLUSIVE: It’s been a big year for NABERS, with shopping centres flocking to the environmental rating tool, indoor environment ratings on the rise, and an expansion into the UK.
The seven elements of NABERS’ success that could transform the UK office market
The UK’s Better Buildings Partnership (BPP) has published details of the vital elements that have contributed to the success of the hugely transformational Australian NABERS scheme.
Australia tops GRESB results for ninth year running
Australian property companies have dominated the 2019 GRESB results, cementing the big end of town as global leaders in real estate sustainability for the ninth year in a row.
Passive house schools could give NSW students the edge – and cost less to run
New recommendations to build NSW schools to passive house standards could see students breathing cleaner air.
New Zealand office buildings need to step up on energy and the climate emergency
New Zealand is dragging the chain on sustainability for office buildings. But all that could be about to change if a new government mandate goes ahead.
Brookfield and Cbus Property portfolios best in NABERS energy performance
Brookfield’s and Cbus Property’s office portfolios have emerged as the equal best performing on energy efficiency in 2018 according to a new report that shows portfolio-wide NABERS ratings for 11 major property companies.
How NABERS will transform the performance of UK office buildings
A scheme to create an investment grade rating that reflects buildings’ “performance in use” based on the Australian NABERS scheme is in development in the UK and hopes to bridge the “performance gap” between design and actual performance of office buildings. But a new report shows the UK lags 15 years behind Australia.
London calling: NABERS, actually
NABERS, the NSW born and nurtured environmental rating scheme that’s become the gold standard for green buildings in Australia will soon be launched in the UK, under the guidance of one of its original architects Dr Paul Bannister.
NABERS – the wrap and the new goals
NABERS has a new vision for the future, with its new five-year strategy going live last week. A few experts offered their thoughts on the journey of the national rating tool so far and what they hope to see going forward.
What to expect from the latest Green Star refresh
The sustainability goals and standards for our built environment are changing. Fast.