NABERS: the energy ratings system that goes further than Part L

By Thomas Lane2023-02-20T06:00:00

Energy regulations in the UK do not deliver buildings that perform as intended. Could the Australian alternative provide a better solution?

Imagine buying a car advertised as doing 50 miles to the gallon but discovering that it only did 13. Most people would assume there was a fault and demand a fix or a refund so they could buy something that performed as described.

Yet we barely blink when the same performance deficiencies are found with buildings. Research carried out by national research and innovation agency Innovate UK in 2016 revealed that on average non-domestic buildings use 3.8 times more energy than predicted at the design stage. Only one out of 49 buildings in the study met the predicted carbon target in use.

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