MYA is excited to announce that we have just added NABERS UK to our list of services!
NABERS UK is a rating scheme focused on assessing the actual measured energy consumption of buildings, awarding a star rating based upon the energy use intensity per floor area. Originating from Australia, it was championed to the UK by the Better Buildings Partnership and now administered by the BRE as one of the routes to address the ‘energy performance gap’, where existing legal energy efficiency metrics such as Energy Performance Certificates can be misleading in terms of reflecting the true performance of a building.
Two offerings are available:
Design for Performance rating
For new builds and major refurbs, the scheme starts in the design stages and involves undertaking an in-depth dynamic thermal modelling assessment with detailed HVAC component level modelling to estimate the actual energy use of the building. The building is then stress tested against a number of scenarios and a star rating is determined based upon how low the energy use intensity is (kWh/m2 per annum) of tenanted floor area. This rating is locked into a DfP agreement and checked against the measured metered data following at least 12 months of occupation.
Energy for offices
Aimed towards existing buildings, this forms an in-depth review of the in-use metered data and the energy use intensity calculated based upon the tenant area. Buildings typically expect to score a low star rating initially, due to either the age of the building or the lack of sub-metering. But the results of the analysis would provide key insights on where to target investment with an aim of reducing energy consumption and improving the star rating year-on-year.
NABERS UK is currently limited to offices only, but is aimed to be rolled out to other building types in the coming years.
If you have a project that is considering targeting a NABERS UK rating or you are just interested in discussing the scheme in more detail, please feel free to contact us.