Relevant energy-efficiency ratings will now need to be displayed alongside any advertisement for an area of office space over 2,000 square feet under the terms of new laws being brought into effect.
The Australian government is hoping that a ‘star-rating’ system relating to the energy efficiency of office space buildings will encourage businesses to consider more carefully the impact their operations could be having on the environment.
A statement from the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency said: ”The aim of the scheme is to ensure that credible and meaningful energy efficiency information is given to prospective purchasers and lessees of large commercial office space.”
In an effort to emphasise the importance of sustainable office space, the department noted that close to 20 per cent of all energy used in Australia goes towards keeping its commercial buildings well-lit and fully air-conditioned.
It is hoped that the new regulations will encourage more businesses and public sector operators to follow the lead of Energy Australia, whose headquarters in Sydney already has a top-level rating as far as its energy efficiency is concerned.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Britain’s energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne is aiming to encourage greater levels of sustainability and energy efficiency within the property sector with the government’s ‘green deal’ initiative that has been officially launched this week.
Editor’s notes: The energy efficiency measurement protocol developed by the Australian government is called NABERS which stands for the National Australian Built Environment Rating System. As of 2023, 90% of Australian office space is measured by NABERS saving nearly 10 million tonnes of CO2.
In May 2022, NABERS published a guide introducing its rating systems to sustainability professionals and policymakers in overseas locations.