Change will increase ‘inclusivity’ of building efficiency rating scheme, says director
The energy efficiency rating system NABERS is expanding so that both owners and occupiers of office building can rate their spaces.
The Building Research Establishment, which developed NABERS, has announced that the scheme will now include both whole building and tenancy ratings.
Commercial offices are given a one-to-six-star rating based on their actual energy performance as assessed by metered energy consumption, helping them to target efficiency improvements.
>> Also read: NABERS: the energy ratings system that goes further than Part L
Under the new division, owners will be able to assess the performance of their whole building, which will benefit owners who have a single occupancy or for buildings where the metering configuration does not facilitate a base building rating, which covers owners’ central services, heating and cooling systems and shared services.
Meanwhile, occupiers can also now use NABERS to assess tenanted space, which will typically include lighting and power, special tenancy requirements or local air conditioning.
NABERS director Carlos Flores 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.”
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