When looking for a new office to move into, or a new commercial investment, you’ll carefully consider things like location, public transport and amenities. But do you check the building’s NABERS rating?
The National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) is the industry standard for measuring and bench-marking the environmental performance of commercial buildings, including energy efficiency, water consumption, waste management and indoor environment quality.
Commercial buildings globally consume 40% of the world’s energy and emit 40% of the carbon emissions, and use 20% of the available drinking water. A zero or one star rating, signals that the building has a high energy and water consumption and produces more waste than it should, while a six star rating identifies that the building is a market leader in environmental performance.
But how does that affect your business when you are looking at moving into a new building or purchasing an investment?
As a building owner or landlord, a higher NABERS rating gives the building a competitive advantage, commanding higher rent prices, decreased tenant turnover, the ability to secure government tenants (government organisations require a NABERS rating of 4.5 stars or higher), with decreased operational costs.
For companies considering a move, a higher NABERS rating can contribute to operational savings for your business, with higher NABERS ratings contributing to lower electricity costs. Even more importantly, more sustainable buildings are known to create a better working environment for staff, resulting in increased productivity, employee comfort and well-being. This is because NABERS is measured through the thermal services, acoustic comfort, indoor air quality, lighting and office layout all factors affecting employee’s overall satisfaction and health.
Generally when choosing a building with a higher star rating, you will be surrounded with like minded companies, all aware of their environmental impact and making active steps to reduce it, as well as their employees well-being. This can create a halo effect for your business in the eyes of potential clients, suppliers and future staff, and encourage further collaboration.
Overall, having a nice building, amenities, cafes and being close to public transport are all advantages to employees, but it is also important to take into consideration clean energy, your own consumption and footprint on the environment, and the long term financial and health benefits an increased NABERS rating can bring to your business.
