NABERS provides a benchmark for understanding how buildings perform in operation. Strong ratings can help reduce energy costs, support environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting, attract tenants and improve long-term asset value. Achieving meaningful improvement hinges on how buildings are operated, maintained and continuously optimised over time.
NABERS in operation
We help building owners and operators integrate NABERS into operational decision-making through data analysis, building tuning and targeted improvement strategies. By understanding how your building is performing today, we identify practical opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce consumption and support long-term performance outcomes.
How we develop a NABERS roadmap
- Energy consumption review – we begin by analysing how and where energy and water are being used in the building. This gives a baseline for understanding general operating trends and allows to identify unexpected patterns of use.
- Gap analysis – based on our understanding of how the building is performing, including any current NABERS Energy and Water ratings, we assess the overall improvement required to achieve the targeted performance.
- Functional design review – we review available design data to understand the principal engineering systems in operation, including the intended operation of automatic controls for all these systems.
- Operational review – we now review the actual operation and condition of the existing plant and equipment to identify areas for improvement. Based on this information, we gather all issues into potential improvement initiatives.
- Detailed assessment – we assess each initiative identified during the operational review to determine its potential performance benefit. These allow for full visibility of the impacts of each option and their relative value.
- Recommendations – we prioritise implementation of the initiatives that have been identified. Where possible, we seek to provide efficiencies by aligning implementation with plant lifecycle replacement, back-to-base works at the end of tenant leases and other routine asset management activities.
- Design facilitation – we can help with the implementation of initiatives through our teams of building services engineers.
- Validation – we can liaise with a NABERS assessor to verify your target rating.
NABERS in design
We help owners and project teams integrate NABERS into the design process, setting clear performance targets and testing design decisions before construction. Through modelling, analysis and targeted advice, we identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce future energy consumption and support strong operational performance.
Commitment Agreement – Australia
Through modelling, independent review and verified performance pathways, we help developers and owners achieve NABERS Commitment Agreements in design. This provides a recognised platform to communicate sustainability leadership and a commitment to operational performance to tenants, investors and the wider community.
Design for Performance – UK
NABERS UK Design for Performance enables developers and owners to communicate targeted building performance from the design stage, similar to NABERS Commitment Agreements in Australia. Through simulation modelling, independent design review and operational verification, it provides a structured framework for reducing the gap between predicted and actual energy performance. This gives investors, tenants and owners greater confidence that design aspirations will translate into operational outcomes.
Other regions
While formal NABERS Commitment Agreements and Design for Performance frameworks are not currently available in New Zealand and Ireland, NABERS is recognised in both markets. Our sustainability specialists can apply the same performance-focused approach through energy modelling, design review and operational readiness assessments to help de-risk NABERS outcomes and improve confidence that targeted performance levels will be achieved once the building is in operation.
