NABERSNZ is a system for rating the energy efficiency of office buildings. It is an independent tool, backed by the New Zealand government.
Background
Commercial buildings use 21 percent of New Zealand’s electricity, costing business $800 million every year. On average, building energy performance could be improved by 20-25 percent.
New Zealand adapted the NABERS model from Australia, as part of the EECA Business mandate to help New Zealand businesses improve energy use and reduce carbon emissions.
The National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) is mandatory throughout Australia. Research there in 2011 found that a 5-star NABERS rating delivered a 9% premium in property value. Buildings that use NABERSNZ on an ongoing basis to rate energy efficiency, have improved energy use by an average 9%.
NABERSNZ is licensed to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and is administered by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC). Ratings are carried out by trained assessors.
Types of ratings
A NABERSNZ Certified Rating gives a star rating, from 0 to 6, that clearly shows your building’s energy performance compared to others.
There are 3 kinds of rating:
- Base building
- Tenancy
- Whole building
A base build rating measures the energy performance of a building’s core services – lifts, stairwell lighting, common toilets, air conditioning and ventilation etc.
A tenancy rating measures just the floors/areas occupied exclusively by the tenant, including energy use such as computers, lighting, data centres, and staff kitchens.
A whole building rating combines base building and tenancy.
How is NABERSNZ different to Green Star?
The Green Star rating tool is used during design and construction, to assess the environmental aspects of buildings. Energy is just one of the criteria Green Star assesses. NABERSNZ looks solely at energy performance, and is used once buildings are occupied and operating for a year or more. As such, NABERSNZ is a valuable tool to ensure Green Star buildings are commissioned and tuned well, so are performing as they are designed to.
Buildings are only eligible for a NABERSNZ rating when they are at least a year old – it is intended to complement and follow on from Green Star.
How the rating works
A NABERSNZ Certified Rating gives a star rating, from 0 to 6, that clearly shows your building’s energy performance compared to others.
It is valid for 1 year, so each year you can get a new assessment to track your progress. This encourages continuous monitoring and means that when your energy efficiency improves, you’ll be able to prove it.
NABERSNZ star ratings:
0 stars = very poor performance
1 star = poor performance
2 stars = below average performance
3 stars = good performance
4 stars = excellent performance
5 stars = market leading performance
6 stars = aspirational performance