How do NABERS Energy Ratings work?

The higher the number of stars on a NABERS certificate the lower the greenhouse gas emissions of the building will be and therefore the building will have a smaller environmental footprint.
If a NABERS rating certificate demonstrates the maximum number of stars, this means that there are lower greenhouse gas emissions for the development compared to most of the similar buildings in the same area.
The rating is based on a calculation of benchmark figures, related to buildings in the same category using 12 months of consumption data. The consumption figures are then adjusted to include building area, hours of use, climate zone, equipment density and greenhouse intensity of the energy source. You can also read more on how NABERS Ratings are acquired on our NABERS Ratings page.
Below you can find the stats for the star ratings in the past years.

What is rated for a BEEC?

A Building Energy Efficiency Certificate (BEEC) sets out the energy efficiency rating of a building area of a building that is offered for sale, lease or sublease. It contains 2 main parts:

  1. Part 1: consists of NABERS for offices, which provides a base or whole building rating- which also covers the tenanted space and is disclosed if there is inadequate metering to obtain a base building rating.
  2. Part 2: consists of a Tenancy Lighting Assessment for the area of the building that is being sold or leased. It measures the power density of the installed general lighting system.
  3. The Commercial Building Disclosure Program requires sellers and lessors of office spaces of more than 1000 square meters, to have an up-to-date BEEC. This is legally required under the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act (2010). To apply for a BEEC, building owners and lessors must go through CBD accredited assessors. You can learn more about accredited assessors here or just give us a call and ask us.

Difference between an energy rating and Greenstar rating?

Green Star and NABERS are both green rating tools that measure the sustainability features of a building. Both are voluntary, although mandated by different departments. NABERS is run by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage on behalf of the state and territory governments. Here you can learn more about NABERS. Green Star is run by the Green Building Council of Australia which you read about more Here. 
The main difference between these rating methods is that the Green Star rating tool rates the design of the building – at both the design and built stages, whereas NABERS rates the functionality of the building after it is built and operational.
To obtain a NABERS rating, the building will be assessed for energy and water efficiency, and you can obtain either a performance rating (existing buildings) or a commitment rating (new building). This is significantly less complex to obtain in comparison to a Greenstar rating, as it involves fewer criteria and features in the process.