EECA has renewed its licence to deliver the NABERSNZ commercial building rating scheme in New Zealand for another three years.
NABERSNZ is a government-backed rating scheme for buildings, licensed in New Zealand by EECA and administered by New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC). In the seven years it’s been operating in New Zealand, NABERSNZ has issued 175 ratings, with a combined floor space of 1.7 million square metres.
NABERSNZ is based on the National Australian Built Environment Rating Scheme (NABERS), an Australian building assessment tool. Ratings can be given for the whole building, base building or office tenancy and are between 0 and 6 stars based on how efficiently they use energy.
EECA CEO Andrew Caseley said, “Commercial buildings use 21 percent of New Zealand’s electricity, costing business $800 million every year. There is huge potential to embrace energy efficiency and reduce energy costs, and it can be through low- or no-cost fixes. But property managers need to benchmark their building energy use first.”
NABERSNZ is a verified tool for measuring the carbon footprint of a building or tenancy’s energy use, and feeds into environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting.
Mr Caseley added that “Businesses that undertake the NABERSNZ process are proactively taking control of their energy use and spend, their built environment and their tenants’ and employees’ wellbeing.”
Carlos Flores, Director of NABERS, said: “Driving a more sustainable built environment is a high priority for Australia and New Zealand, so we are thrilled to extend our NABERSNZ partnership with EECA into the future. Australasia has led the world in driving healthy, sustainable and energy efficient commercial buildings, and we are proud of the enabling role NABERS and NABERSNZ have played in doing so. We look forward to continue to share with and learn from our trans-Tasman colleagues, and collectively drive a step change in reducing energy costs and carbon emissions in this new decade.”
Mr Caseley said the million square metres rated so far represented around 10% of the total commercial floor space in New Zealand. “Renewing this contract for another three years will enable many more property owners to maximise the commercial appeal of their buildings, reduce their operating costs and attract quality tenants.
The Government currently occupies about a third of the Wellington CBD office market, said Peter Bollmann, Chief Advisor Property at the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. “Any steps we take to improve the energy efficiency of government offices will have a real impact across the market. More than that, it will make the office environment more desirable to tenants, and create better workplaces for staff.”
Andrew Caseley added, “Right now, commercial landlords are feeling pressure as organisations reduce their office footprints — a NABERSNZ rating makes you stand out in the market.”
To find out more, visit nabersnz.govt.nz(external link)
Note to Editors
EECA is the government agency that works to improve the energy efficiency of New Zealand's homes and businesses, and encourages the uptake of renewable energy.
Our purpose is to mobilise New Zealanders to be world leaders in clean and clever energy use.
The floors we occupy in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch have a rating of 4 or 4.5 stars (representing 'excellent performance') out of a possible 6 under the NABERSNZ office building energy measurement and rating scheme.