The NSW Government will fund initiatives to drive new buildings towards high energy performance and reduce emissions in existing buildings. These initiatives build on the wide reach and effectiveness of the NABERS program and are part of the NSW Government’s Accelerating Net Zero Buildings program.
The program also features a workstream focused on embodied emissions in new buildings. In addition, Water NSW is supporting the Water Starters program to encourage new participation in NABERS Water ratings and water efficiency engagement.
These initiatives are for a limited time period. They are part of a new program run by the NSW Government, and its financial incentives are therefore only available to buildings in NSW.
Energy and Water Starters stream
This stream will focus on helping owners of existing NSW buildings that are in the early stages of their energy and water efficiency journey. This includes providing financial incentives for buildings that have never been rated with NABERS before or have not had a certified NABERS energy rating since 1 February 2018 to receive their NABERS Energy and Water ratings, and to embed a culture of measurement and annual improvement of energy and water performance.
Under this stream, the NSW government will provide a financial contribution of up to a total value of $3,000 excluding GST towards energy ratings and an action plan. The Water Starters offer, funded by DPE Water, is an additional contribution of $1,000 excluding GST towards NABERS Water ratings. This total contribution of $4,000 per building can be used towards administration and Assessor fees in specific sectors (see ‘Conditions of Offer - ANZB Energy and Water Starters’ for more details), to support customers to get their first rating, action plan, and second rating.
- Conditions of Offer - ANZB Energy and Water Starters Round 4 v1.0 (February 2024)
- Offer Recipients - ANZB Energy and Water Starters v4.0 (February 2024)
The NABERS rating lodgement fee is also discounted by 50% for the first NABERS rating for non-government schools in the first-year post-launch. See the Pricing and Offers
Offer details
Applicants are encouraged to apply for the Energy Starters and Water Starters as a bundled single application, but may apply for either offer independently by notifying NABERS in their application.
| Component | Contribution | Offer Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| 1st and 2nd year rating + action plan | ||
| 1st and 2nd year rating + action plan | ||
| Buildings outside Sydney Metropolitan, Newcastle and Wollongong |
How to apply
The fourth round offer is open from 1 February 2024 until 30 June 2024, or until funding for this round is exhausted.
To apply for the Energy and Water Starters, please email NABERS at nabers@environment.nsw.gov.au with the subject line "Energy and Water Starters" including information detailed in the Conditions of Offer - ANZB Energy and Water Starters.
If you would like further information about this offer, please talk to a NABERS Assessor or contact NABERS team.
New Buildings stream
This stream provides incentives for NSW developments committing to high energy performance using NABERS Commitment Agreements. Incentives under this stream will include NABERS Commitment Agreement fee waiver for buildings committing to energy performance targets beyond those required by the building code.
Under this stream, NSW Government will provide a financial contribution of up to a total value of $8,045 AUD inc. GST. This contribution will waive the Commitment Agreement fee.
- Conditions of Offer - ANZB New Buildings v4.0 (February 2024)
How to apply
Applications are open until 30 June 2024, or until funding for this round is exhausted. See the conditions of offer.
Further information
If you are an Assessor and would like to find out more information including details of how to apply for the offer on behalf of your customers, please email us at nabers@environment.nsw.gov.au.
- NABERS Fact Sheets: We also have a suite of NABERS fact sheets designed to help you communicate the many benefits of our rating system to colleagues, customers, and investors.
- NABERS Training: We have Assessor training available if you would like to pursue a new sector, tool or certification, like Residential Aged Care, Retirement Living, and Carbon Neutral.