NABERS releases toolkit to help policymakers achieve stronger environmental outcomes in Australia's buildings.
To empower sustainable choices in procurement, portfolio management and planning, NABERS has developed its Policy Toolkit. The toolkit provides information and resources to use NABERS ratings to make the best possible decisions when purchasing, leasing or operating commercial buildings, when designing for new commercial developments or within planning policy.
Since launching in 1999, the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) is considered one of the most successful built environment sustainability programs in the world and has saved more than 11.57 million tonnes of CO2 emissions through office energy ratings alone.
“The impact of NABERS has been truly transformational across many aspects of the built environment, from reducing energy, water and waste in buildings operating in a diverse range of sectors, and now spearheading a consistent approach across Australia to measure and reduce embodied carbon in the construction of buildings,” said Monique Alfris, Acting Director of NABERS.
To further drive impact at scale, we want to make it as easy as possible for NABERS to be embedded into policies to improve sustainability in procurement, portfolio management and planning.
The toolkit comprises three sections that can each be used independently or together:
- Procurement: For government and private sector businesses that lease or purchase buildings such as office space, hotel accommodation and data centres.
- Portfolios: For government and private sector businesses accountable for setting environmental policies or operating buildings.
- Planning: For approval authorities using NABERS ratings targets in planning policies and for organisations developing new buildings.
The toolkit also explains how NABERS can be applied in policy making to:
- Combine the NABERS suite of tools to drive action towards net zero and a circular economy
- Set short term minimum targets alongside ambitious longer-term targets
- Align with and exceed the minimum requirements set out in the National Construction Code
- Examine different strategies you can employ, like disclosure of ratings, minimum thresholds and requirements to progressively upgrade buildings over time