As more organisations commit to achieving net-zero emissions, NABERS is evolving its Energy Rating by introducing the Renewable Energy Indicator to better recognise and reward all-electric buildings that are purchasing 100% renewable energy.
Today we are launching the NABERS Renewable Energy Indicator. From 06 June 2023, all NABERS Energy ratings certificates will also include the Renewable Energy Indicator, which displays the proportion of the building's energy that comes from on-site renewable energy generated, as well as off-site renewable energy procured.
Many organisations in the NABERS community are going to great lengths to electrify their buildings and source their energy from renewables. We are proud to be able to recognise these efforts prominently on every NABERS Energy rating certificate.
The Renewable Energy Indicator was developed in close consultation with industry and is strongly aligned with other industry standards, including the Green Building Council of Australia's Green Star rating system and Climate Active’s Carbon Neutral certification.
The purpose of the Renewable Energy Indicator is to reduce energy related gas emissions by supporting the transition to renewable electricity, encouraging avoidance of fossil fuels, providing a mechanism that allows tenants and others to ask for efficient buildings powered with renewable energy, and supporting the transition to a net-zero economy.
“Drawing back the curtains on a building’s energy resourcing will allow organisations to build a strong case for the electrification of buildings,” says Monique Alfris, Head of Market Transformation at NABERS.
“The Indicator will support and reward organisations taking steps to decarbonise their portfolios and will also reveal the reliance we have on gas. This will allow us to direct government resources towards buildings that need support to electrify.”
In 2022, NABERS ran a pilot of the Renewable Energy Indicator with nine buildings. The findings from the pilot demonstrated that embracing renewables is not just a matter of flicking a switch, with the participating buildings achieving a broad range of results on the Indicator.
Here’s what a few participants in the pilot had to say:
“I was surprised that there wasn’t that much more information that I had to collect from the site to provide this to our customers. They were also pleasantly surprised with the results I shared with them – they already had some GreenPower they were purchasing and their on-site solar was recognised.” Assessor
“We bought GreenPower for part of the year and ended up with a high Renewable Energy Indicator. Being a fully electrified building, we are looking forward to the next rating where we hope to get close to 100% on the Indicator. This public facing metric makes it easier for us to justify all electric buildings running on renewables.” Customer
“This result shone a light on all our hard work to source energy from the right places. We only have a small on-site solar, and are buying what GreenPower we can afford, but we are very happy with the results!” Customer
Multiple organisations, including the Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change, the International Energy Agency and ClimateWorks, have said buildings must be electrified in order to achieve a decarbonised economy. Recent research from the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council found that “100% electrification with renewable electricity was… the lowest cost, fastest emissions reduction pathway for Australia's built environment.”
The new NABERS certificate gives a high-level view to those looking to understand how their building is performing. This is set to be a game changer for the electrification of buildings and the resourcing of renewable energy across all the sectors that NABERS operates in, and we are excited to be a part of this next chapter in Australia’s energy journey.
For more information, visit the NABERS Renewable Energy Indicator webpage.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with NABERS via email nabers@environment.nsw.gov.au.