NABERS expands to include occupiers and whole buildings
The Building Research Establishment has expanded the NABERS energy efficiency rating scheme for offices to include whole buildings and tenancies.
The new UK Energy for Offices ratings mean owners will be able to undertake assessments and verify the energy performance of their whole building. This is particularly relevant for owners with single occupancy or properties where the metering configuration does not facilitate a base building rating, which covers central services, heating and cooling systems and shared services.
Office occupiers will also be able to assess the energy used by their workspaces, which typically includes lighting and power, special tenancy requirements or local air conditioning.
The Building Research Establishment has expanded the NABERS energy efficiency rating scheme for offices to include whole buildings and tenancies.
The new UK Energy for Offices ratings mean owners will be able to undertake assessments and verify the energy performance of their whole building. This is particularly relevant for owners with single occupancy or properties where the metering configuration does not facilitate a base building rating, which covers central services, heating and cooling systems and shared services.
Office occupiers will also be able to assess the energy used by their workspaces, which typically includes lighting and power, special tenancy requirements or local air conditioning.
The rating scheme measures the energy performance of existing commercial offices based on metered energy consumption.
Jen Dudley, senior product manager at BRE, said: “Understanding building performance is critical in establishing the starting point of a building’s sustainability journey and where improvements can be made. This is another great NABERS UK milestone that will support office tenants and building owners on their journey to reduce their energy consumption.”
Carlos Flores, director at NABERS, said: “Until recently, NABERS UK ratings had been restricted to buildings with highly sophisticated energy metering. This expansion makes a huge leap forward in terms of inclusivity in the scheme, providing an easy path for any office building to receive a NABERS UK Energy rating, even those with simpler metering arrangements.
“Building owners can now certify all their existing office buildings under NABERS UK and use these to set improvement targets across their entire portfolios.”
Sarah Ratcliffe, chief executive of the Better Buildings Partnership, said: “Assessing and verifying the energy performance of buildings could not be more important as the industry strives to tackle energy efficiency and emissions reductions. This is a vital tool and we urge office owners and occupiers to use it fully to unlock the potential of their existing buildings.”
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