NABERS reports positive 2023

NABERS has released its FY23 Annual Report, showing growth and increased interest in its rating tools and enhancements.

NABERS has continued to expand in the past financial year, with a growth in Sustainable Portfolios Index ratings (21 per cent), an increase in rated data centres (27 per cent), a 26 per cent increase in offices with NABERS Indoor Environment ratings, a 200 per cent growth for offices with NABERS Waste ratings of 5 or more stars, and an increase in shopping centres with repeat ratings (18 per cent).

NABERS has also been developing a new tool to measure embodied carbon, which has had strong support from industry. Head of product development James Elks says NABERS spoke with hundreds of people and organisations to co-design the tool that will measure and compare embodied carbon in buildings.

The organisation also launched its Renewable Energy Indicator in June 2023. The Indicator is helpful to building owners and investors as they transition to net zero because it discloses the percentage of fossil fuels and clean renewable energy that a building consumes.

NABERS Director Carlos Flores, M.AIRAH, says NABERS is thankful to the hundreds of organisations, individuals and industry bodies in the building sector who advocated for and helped shape the Renewable Energy Indicator over the past two years.

“Their efforts were instrumental in designing a new indicator that is helping NABERS evolve to drive buildings to be energy efficient as well as fully decarbonised,” he says.

In September 2022, NABERS released a rating tool to help owners and operators of warehouses and cold stores. After working with a range of warehouse and cold store owners and tenants to collect data, the first ratings have been lodged and will be released in the coming months.

This financial year has also seen a record 238 shopping centres receive a NABERS rating, with an average 4.5-star Energy rating. NABERS is now developing a tool to rate the spaces that aren’t currently assessed by NABERS – like large supermarket tenancies, department stores and big box retailers. This tool is set for launch in mid-2024.

Closer to home, NABERS reports that is on-track to fulfil the core goals in its five-year plan, due to finish in June 2024:

• Every major building type can be rated by NABERS
• Double the number of NABERS ratings by driving uptake and improving our existing tools. 

The organisation has also seen significant growth within its own team, with a 38 per cent headcount growth.

Flores highlights the collective achievement of many sustainability champions across Australia that have contributed to seeing sustainability action broaden beyond just energy and carbon.

“This is a great example of what is possible when government and industry work together to make a more sustainable future possible,” he says.

The full report is available to read here.

Feature image courtesy of NABERS.