NABERS, the National Australian Built Environment Rating System, was developed by the government of New South Wales in 1999 and was introduced to the UK by the BRE in November 2020 to help bridge the gap between the design and in-use energy performance of office buildings.

It was seen as a complementary service to the existing Building Research Establishment Environmental  Assessment Method(BREEAM), which certifies design rather than performance.

However BRE has told NABERS that it no longer wants to run the scheme in the UK but will help with the process of finding a new administrator.

BRE and NABERS said that they will also continue to cooperate beyond the handover, sharing knowledge and recognising the links between NABERS ratings and the BREEAM credit system.

BRE chief executive 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.”

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 also a member of the NABERS UK steering committee. Its chief executive, 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.”

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