FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
The NABERS UK Energy for Offices rating scheme has been expanded by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and will now include Whole Building and Tenancy ratings.
These two additional ratings have joined the NABERS UK Base Buildings rating and complete the NABERS UK Energy for Offices suite, meaning that both owners and occupiers can rate their spaces.
NABERS UK Energy for Offices rates the actual energy performance of commercial offices based on metered energy consumption. Building owners can now undertake assessments and verify the energy performance of their whole building, which is especially relevant for owners who have 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).
Office occupiers can also now use NABERS UK to assess the energy used by their tenanted space, which will typically include lighting and power, special tenancy requirements or local air conditioning.
All of these ratings provide a vital measure of the energy performance of office buildings, allowing owners and occupiers to understand their current performance using a Star Rating of 1 to 6 and to target and drive improvements in energy efficiency.
Jen Dudley, Senior Product Manager from BRE said: “Understanding building performance is critical in establishing the starting point of a building’s sustainability journey and where improvements can be made. This is another great NABERS UK milestone that will support office tenants and building owners on their journey to reduce their energy consumption.”
NABERS Director Carlos Flores added: “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. Building owners can now certify all their existing office buildings under NABERS UK, and use these to set improvement targets across their entire portfolios. It is an incredibly exciting moment for industry and the environment.”
The past two years have been challenging resulting in the acceleration of change, including digital transformation and how we live and work. Global real estate software solutions business, MRI Software, would like to hear your views on what this means for the future of facilities management and has put together a short survey.
As professionals in property management, your views will help MRI Software to produce its first Voice of Facilities Management Report highlighting the key issues affecting the industry and actionable insights to help the industry thriving.
The survey should take approximately 10 minutes and three lucky respondents will have the chance of winning £150 worth of Amazon vouchers.
To take part please click here
