Apartment owners can slash their energy and water costs by around 30% by peeling back the layers of their building’s performance with a NABERS rating.
Apartments by the numbers
- Up to 60% of energy consumption in large buildings, like apartments, comes from common areas and shared services
- Around 25% of administrative fund levies are spent on utility bills alone
- 15% of Australian households live in apartments, according to the 2016 Census
- 80% of people want information about a building’s environmental performance at the point of sale or lease
About NABERS ratings for Apartment Buildings
NABERS ratings for apartment buildings quantify your building’s energy and water performance. We give your building a rating from one to six stars, based on the energy use of shared services such as car parks, lobbies and gyms. Your water rating can include shared water use only, or all water use, dependent on your preference and metering.
Apartment buildings with at least four apartments on at least two floors are eligible. You can find out more about minimum requirements in the NABERS Energy and Water for Apartment Buildings Rules v2.0.
Energy and Water ratings
Use NABERS to rate the energy and water usage (paid for by the owners corporation) within the common property areas of your building. This includes (but is not limited to):
- Lifts and lobby areas
- Car parks
- Gyms
- Pools
- Water features
Note: The rating does not include the energy consumption of individual residences.
Preparing for your rating
To prepare for your NABERS rating:
- Get ready: Source quotes from a few NABERS Accredited Assessors to understand the scope of work, then present your case to your owners’ corporation for approval.
- Gather your data: Collect 12 months of historical data on energy and water consumption, and details about the size and features of your building. Your Assessor will be able to guide you.
- Achieve NABERS certification: Organise for your Assessor to conduct a site visit to validate your data and identify areas for improvement.
- Improve your rating: Take action to reduce your energy and water consumption during the next 12 months and enjoy the savings. Collect data to feed back into your next rating to track your performance.
For more information, consult our NABERS for Apartment Buildings fact sheet.
NABERS Waste Platform
Use the NABERS Waste Platform to upload and track your building’s waste data month-to-month. The platform automatically converts it into useful management insights. The different graphs on the platform represent key performance waste metrics that are designed to demonstrate how well a building separates its waste into streams that can be composted and recycled.
Find out more about pricing for your sector, and the NABERS Waste tool.