Toronto Square in Leeds, owned by Grosvenor, is the first office to be verified using the NABERS UK Energy for Offices Scheme, with the building achieving a 4.5 Star Rating. 

It was also announced today that the NABERS UK scheme is being extended to cover whole buildings and tenancies. These two additional ratings complement the NABERS UK Base Building Ratings launched in November 2020, completing the suite of NABERS ratings for offices in the UK. 

The NABERS UK Energy for Offices Scheme enables building owners to rate, verify and disclose the energy ‘performance in-use' of existing offices, based on actual metered consumption. NABERS UK creates much needed market transparency and an investment grade rating that can be used to drive improvements in energy efficiency.  

The scheme in the UK is based upon the Australian NABERS scheme and at a Better Buildings Partnership event today, owners, managers and advisors from the UK property industry were joined by Carlos Flores (Director of NABERS) and Luke Menzel (CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council of Australia). They discussed how the UK could fast track the success of the Australian scheme which has driven a 42% improvement in energy efficiency and emissions reductions of 53% in commercial offices over the past 14 years. The event also featured David Heaford  (Managing Director, Development, Landsec) Nick Deacon (Head of Offices, Europe, Nuveen) and Victoria Herring (Director, Sustainability Programme, Grosvenor) who highlighted the role of the NABERS UK scheme in their pathways to net zero.  

NABERS UK is already playing a pivotal role in bridging the performance gap between the design and in-use energy performance of new offices in the UK, with 34 buildings registered under the NABERS UK Design for Performance scheme, covering a floor area of c630,500m2. 

The technical development work underpinning the NABERS UK rating scheme methodology was undertaken by consultants Verco in the UK and Delta Q from Australia and at the event, Robert Cohen  explained how the methodology has been arrived at through extensive industry engagement, including input from members of the NABERS UK Steering Committee, NABERS UK Pioneers and IDR Panelists.  

BRE is the scheme administrator and the calculator tools for the base building, whole building and tenancy ratings are now available on the BRE website. At the event Shamir Ghumra, Head of Building Performance at BRE, outlined the work they will be undertaking to make the whole building and tenancy ratings operational over the coming months and the complementarity with existing BREEAM schemes.  

Sarah Ratcliffe, CEO, Better Buildings Partnership said: “NABERS UK was developed in response to industry demand and so it is incredibly encouraging to see property owners committing to the Energy for Offices Scheme. Energy efficiency has a vital role to play on the road to net zero and existing buildings need to make significant progress, at pace, if targets are to be met. Verifying and disclosing energy performance in-use is a vital tool in driving the market transformation required and this is why the Better Buildings Partnership has been a long-term advocate of NABERS UK.” 

Carlos Flores, Director, NABERS said: “Having worked closely with the BBP to develop and launch NABERS UK in 2020, it is fantastic to be here to hear first-hand about the uptake of the Scheme. In Australia, NABERS is now embedded across the commercial property industry and we hope that sharing our experience will inspire a wide range of stakeholders to support and advocate for the use of the scheme here in the UK.” 

Shamir Ghumra, Head of Building Performance, BRE said: “BRE has been delighted to take on the role of UK Administrator for NABERS UK. With NABERS UK Design for Performance gaining significant momentum and the whole building and tenancy methodology being developed, commercial offices will soon have the full suite of tools available to enable them to verify performance and utilize this to drive much needed improvements in performance.” 

Editor's Notes 

The NABERS UK scheme was developed through the industry backed and funded Design for Performance initiative. Spearheaded by the BBP, this resulted in the launch of NABERS UK in November 2020.  

NABERS UK Steering Committee Members are: 

British Council for Offices (BCO); British Property Federation (BPF); BSRIA; CIBSE; IWFM; RIBA; RICS; UKGBC.  

NABERS UK Design for Performance Pioneers are: 

British Land; Derwent London; Federated Hermes; GPE; Grosvenor; Landsec; Legal & General IM; Lendlease; Nuveen; MEPC; Royal London Asset Management; Stanhope; The Crown Estate. 

NABERS UK Supporters are:  

Atelier ten; AECOM; Arup; ATKINS; Built Physics Limited; Bryden Wood; Buro Happold; chapmanbdsp; Cundall; EVORA EDGE; Greengage; Hilson Moran; Hoare Lea; Inkling; KJ Tait Engineers; Mecserve; TFT; Thornton Reynolds; Twin and Earth; Watkins Payne Partnership; WSP Global. 

NABERS UK has now been integrated into industry standards and guidance including the BCO Guide to Specification, the RIBA Plan of Works, UKGBC & LETI Energy Use Intensity Targets for Offices, BSRIA Soft Landings and CIBSE’s TM54. NABERS is also utilised by the GLA in its ‘be seen’ energy policy guidance. 

About the BBP: 

The Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) is a not-for-profit collaboration of the UK’s leading property owners who are working together to improve the sustainability of the UK’s existing commercial buildings. The organisation's aim is to deliver market transformation through sustainability leadership and knowledge sharing across the UK property industry. The BBP currently has 48 members who represent more than £275bn Assets Under Management (AUM). 

NABERS  

NABERS is a national rating system from Australia that measures the environmental performance of buildings and tenancies. Put simply, NABERS measures the energy efficiency, water usage, waste management and indoor environment quality of a building or tenancy and its impact on the environment.   

NABERS is a reliable and easy to understand sustainability rating for the built environment. Like the efficiency star ratings that you get on your fridge or washing machine, NABERS provides a rating from one to six stars for buildings efficiency. NABERS measures actual impact, not intent.    

NABERS is a world leading building performance rating due to its integrity of methods, transparency of process and accountability to industry. NABERS is administered by Australia’s New South Wales Government, and is in three countries; Australia, New Zealand and now the UK.  

BRE  

BRE is the world’s leading building science centre. Its sustainability, safety, and security services – as well as the BRE Academy and Innovation Centres – are used by customers to deliver on their social, environmental, and economic goals.  

BRE is committed to developing knowledge on every aspect of the built environment. The organisation sets the standards for the way buildings, homes and communities are made to keep people safe, protect the environment, make buildings affordable, and create places where people want to live.