In the Australian context, there are various environmental rating systems which can be used by
departments to predict, assess, monitor and improve the environmental performance of their
building portfolios.
Below are the top 3 environmental rating systems used in Australia:
NABERS
The National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) is an Australian
construction environment rating system that measures the energy efficiency, water usage,
waste management and indoor environment quality of a building or tenancy and its impact on
the environment. It does this by using measured and verified performance information, such as
utility bills, and converting them into an easy to understand star rating scale from one to six
stars. The system provides star rating to the building or tenancy that represents its actual
operational performance by using the energy or water bills and waste audit of over 12 months.
The rating takes into consideration:
- Climatic condition of building
- Hours of its use
- Level of services it provides
- Energy sources it uses
- Size and occupancy of building
The cost of accredited rating will depend on the type of rating needed, the size of your building
and the difficulty of gathering the appropriate data.
GREENSTAR Rating System
This Australian construction environment rating system assesses the sustainability of projects at
all stages of built environment lifecycle, which are achieved in the planning phase for
communities, during the design & construction phase of buildings. It benchmarks projects against
the nine Green Star categories of Management; Indoor Environment Quality, Energy, Transport,
Water; Materials, Land Use & Ecology, Emissions and Innovation. Each category addresses
specific aspects of sustainable building design and construction or performance.
Ratings for buildings are available at the:
- Design stage
- Post-construction phase
- Interior Fitouts
It also assesses and rates buildings, fit outs and communities against a range of environmental
impact categories, and aims to encourage leadership in environmentally sustainable design and
construction, showcase innovation in sustainable building practices, and consider occupant
health, productivity and operational cost savings. The Greenstar rating system is a voluntary
sustainability rating system for buildings in Australia, launched in 2003 by the Green Building
Council of Australia.
WELL Certified Rating System
The well certified rating system is also an important part of the Australian construction
environmental rating systems which aims to prevent the spread of chronic diseases by the built
environment through the improvement in nutrition, mood, fitness, sleep patterns and
performance of its occupants. This system organises seven concepts of “wellness”. These
concepts are divided into performance-based standards or prescriptive standards that require
specific technologies, design strategies or protocols. This rating system is based on medical
research that demonstrates the link between the buildings in which we spend more than 90
percent of our time, and the wellness and overall health of occupants who use it on a daily
basis.
- By auditing each building, it will reveal alignments, gaps and opportunities
- Analysis of the Environmental Management Plan
- By integrating WELL goals into a project bid to maximise satisfaction of requirements in an early stage of a project
- Incorporating the company procurement strategy to satisfy Well certification tenders and contracts
- Sustainability strategy and reporting
It follows performance-based criteria that measure, monitor and certify parts of the built
environment that have an innate impact on wellbeing and health of humans. The cost for a
WELL rating depends on the size and complexity of the project as well as the fees for
certification. It is a very complex process requiring very in-depth investigations of a building’s
operation and energy usage.