Australia must drive down energy consumption, electrify at speed, and reduce embodied carbon at scale across its built environment. NABERS is addressing these three challenges simultaneously, as attendees at the 2024 NABERS + CBD Conference can attest.
Key announcements from the 2024 NABERS + CBD Conference:
- The Australian Government has opened a consultation on changes to the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) Program
- NABERS is developing an Energy Performance Indicator tool
- NABERS is expanding to Schools and Retail Stores sectors
- NABERS is commencing a pilot program of its Embodied Carbon tool
- Learn about NABERS future priorities in its 2024-2029 Strategic Plan
- Celebrate the history of NABERS in our ‘25 years of game changers’ article
The theme of the 2024 NABERS + CBD Conference, Building Momentum for a Sustainable Future, was fitting for the largest NABERS + CBD Conference to date.
Almost 400 people gathered on Gadigal Country, with an additional 250 joining virtually, to hear about NABERS' progress and future plans.
It has been 25 years since NABERS launched in 1999. In another 25 years, it will be almost 2050 and Australia’s net zero targets must be met. MC Lucinda Hartley noted the symmetry of this moment in time. “We have come along way, but we have an important window of opportunity over the next 25 years.”
Opening the conference, federal Assistant Minister for Climate Change, Jenny McAllister, hailed NABERS’ achievements over 25 years as “nothing short of world leading”, pointing to the $1.7 billion in energy savings and nearly 12 million tonnes of carbon avoided.
Anthony Lean, Secretary of the NSW Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) agreed. More than 2,500 individual buildings and tenancies took part in NABERS in the last financial year, he said. Australia’s 13 years of leadership in GRESB, the global real estate sustainability benchmark, is “because investors, owners and tenants have embraced NABERS like no other”.
“Buildings that started to disclose their NABERS rating 12 years ago use 42% less energy today,” added NABERS Director Carlos Flores. Australia’s office market is “moving at the fastest speed” to reduce energy consumption of any in the world. Australia must now use the lessons learnt in the office market to build momentum and move markets.
Three key themes emerged at the conference:
The Australian Government is opening consultation to consider changes to the Commercial Building Disclosure program. David Atkins from the Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, pointed to analysis by KPMG, which has found expanding the CBD program “promises to be the best placed tool” to reduce Australia's commercial building sector emissions to net zero by 2050. David encouraged industry leaders to think about “dimensions of expansion”. This means not just new building types “but new indicators”, like water and waste, too. At the same time, public consultation on proposed amendments to the National Construction Code are open until 1 July 2024. This includes proposals for stricter thermal requirements, mandatory on-site energy generation and provisions for electrification in commercial buildings. The proposed changes present “cost effective, fuel and technology neutral ways for buildings to move forward to a net zero future,” David Atkins said.
“The future is all electric,” said the Green Building Council of Australia’s CEO, Davina Rooney. “There is not a single peer reviewed study that does not recommend electric in buildings.” But the “electrify everything” narrative comes with a clear caveat, added the Property Council’s National Policy Director Francesca Muskovic. We must focus on “efficient electrification”, not a mass rollout of low efficiency equipment that undermines our collective goals. The commercial sector can see clear benefits, with buildings boasting higher NABERS ratings achieving better financial outcomes. In the residential sector, capturing hearts and minds starts with kitchen table conversations. Mandatory disclosure of the NABERS Renewable Energy Indicator could accelerate action, several speakers noted.
Embodied carbon: NABERS is now piloting the new national standard to measure and certify embodied carbon. This new tool, developed in collaboration with the GBCA and 300-plus stakeholders, is supported by a new database of emissions factors. The NSW Government seeded NABERS’ work to develop the tool with an investment of $4.8 million. Anthony Lean, DCCEEW’s Secretary, pointed to research from the GBCA which found embodied carbon made up 16% of Australia’s built environment emissions in 2019. Without intervention this share will balloon to 85% in 2050. Meanwhile, the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) released an issues paper at the conference to “supercharge” policy discussions. ASBEC’s Executive Director Alison Scotland called for feedback on solutions across seven core policy “dilemmas”, which will inform a comprehensive policy framework for the entire supply chain.
The NABERS + CBD Conference 2024 had a clear message: action is accelerating and ambition growing. Policy levers are being pulled and industry leaders are pushing best practice boundaries. How do we maintain momentum as we race towards a sustainable future? We focus on the basics: measuring to better manage our buildings.
Re-live the 2024 NABERS + CBD Conference by watching recordings of the sessions on our YouTube channel.