NABERS UK to seek new administrator as BRE moves to focus on BREEAM - BRE Group
NABERS UK to seek new administrator as BRE moves to focus on BREEAM
The Building Research Establishment (BRE) and NABERS have today announced that BRE is ending its licence agreement for the energy performance rating tool, NABERS UK, in order to focus on its world-leading BREEAM scheme.
Having successfully worked together to launch and operate NABERS UK since 2020, BRE and NABERS are committed to delivering continuity and a smooth transition for NABERS UK. They will work closely together over the coming months to ensure NABERS UK continues to operate during the transition to a new administrator. BRE and NABERS will also continue their collaborative relationship beyond the transition, sharing knowledge and recognising the links between NABERS ratings and the BREEAM credit system.
Further details will be announced over the coming weeks, including details of an Expression of Interest process for a new NABERS UK Administrator and Q&A sessions for scheme stakeholders.
BRE CEO Gillian Charlesworth said:
“After three successful years, BRE will no longer be the administrator for NABERS UK so that our team can focus all of their energy on making the next iteration of BREEAM the most successful yet. We look forward to seeing NABERS UK continue to grow with a new partner, and working with them to recognise NABERS within BREEAM to further our shared goal of increasing the sustainability of the built environment for the good of our planet.”
We look forward to seeing NABERS UK continue to grow with a new partner, and working with them to recognise NABERS within BREEAM to further our shared goal of increasing the sustainability of the built environment for the good of our planet – Gillian Charlesworth, CEO of BRE
NABERS Acting Director Magali Wardle said:
“NABERS is grateful to BRE for the important role it has played in the success of NABERS UK to date. We are committed to providing consistency to customers throughout the transition, and will announce the details of our Expression of Interest process for a new administrator shortly. NABERS looks forward to seeing the continued growth of NABERS UK, and the resultant benefits to the commercial building sector in the UK”.
The Better Buildings Partnership is a member of the NABERS UK Steering Committee and an Ambassador for NABERS UK. BBP CEO Sarah Ratcliffe said:
“Bridging the performance gap and verifying energy performance is critical to improving the energy efficiency of commercial buildings. Through the BBP convened Design for Performance project, industry bodies and major UK developers collaborated to address this issue, culminating in the launch of NABERS UK. The Scheme has already made a significant impact on the industry, and we look forward to the appointment of a new administrator who can capitalise on the opportunity to operate and scale-up this market transformational scheme.”
Learn more about how BREEAM supports industry to create more sustainable buildings and infrastructure.
Notes to Editors
For queries regarding BREEAM, please go to https://bregroup.com/contact/
For all other press enquiries, including regarding the future administration of NABERS in the UK, please contact nabers@environment.nsw.gov.au.
About NABERS UK
The NABERS UK scheme was developed through the industry backed and funded Design for Performance initiative. Convened by the Better Buildings Partnership, this resulted in the launch of NABERS UK in November 2020. The NABERS UK Steering Committee Members are: NABERS, BRE, Better Buildings Partnership, British Council for Offices (BCO); British Property Federation (BPF); BSRIA; CIBSE; IWFM; RIBA; RICS; UKGBC.
NABERS UK Supporters are Atelier ten; AECOM; Arup; ATKINS; Built Physics Limited; Bryden Wood; Buro Happold; chapmanbdsp; Cundall; EVORA EDGE; Greengage; Hilson Moran; Hoare Lea; Inkling; KJ Tait Engineers; Mecserve; TFT; Thornton Reynolds; Twin and Earth; Watkins Payne Partnership; WSP Global.
NABERS UK is integrated into industry standards and guidance including the BCO Guide to Specification, the RIBA Plan of Works, UKGBC & LETI Energy Use Intensity Targets for Offices, BSRIA Soft Landings and CIBSE’s TM54. NABERS is also utilised by the GLA in its ‘be seen’ energy policy guidance.
NABERS UK was developed to emulate the success of the scheme in Australia, where 90% of office space is rated, with buildings making energy savings of $1.4billion AUD and 9.9 million tonnes of CO2. The Scheme has gathered significant momentum since its launch in the UK, with the support of many commercial property owners, major industry bodies and the supply chain. As of today over 280 learners have enrolled onto the NABERS UK training course, with 86 NABERS UK licensed assessors currently on board. There are 104 Design for Performance target ratings registered, and 8 office buildings currently registered under the Energy for Offices Scheme.
About Building Research Establishment (BRE)
BRE is a world leading, multi-disciplinary, building science centre with a mission to improve buildings and infrastructure, through cutting-edge research and knowledge generation. BRE maintains a range of products, services, standards and qualifications that are used around the world to bring about positive change in the built environment. BRE owns the BREEAM suite of validation and certification systems for a sustainable built environment, with over one million buildings registered in over 80 countries around the world.
BRE held an open consultation this summer on forthcoming changes to BREEAM, which will ensure the BREEAM suite of products reflects the latest science in relation to net zero carbon and developments in international regulation. The BREEAM V7 approach to address whole life carbon includes measuring and reporting on operational carbon emissions as well as embodied carbon. It will support building owners and operators to set benchmarks for their carbon emissions as an important step to reducing them and showing whether a building is on track for net zero. Learn more at www.bregroup.com.
About NABERS
NABERS (which stands for the National Australian Built Environment Rating System) was founded in Australia over 20 years ago, and since then has proven that “what gets measured gets managed.”
NABERS provides simple, reliable, and comparable sustainability measurement across building sectors like hotels, shopping centres, apartments, offices, data centres, and more. It provides a rating from one to six stars for buildings efficiency across energy, water, waste and indoor environment.
NABERS ratings help building owners understand their building’s performance versus other similar buildings, providing a benchmark for progress and supporting building owners and managers in identifying areas for cost savings and future improvements.