Contact NABERS UK team with any questions you may have

FAQ’s

 

Does NABERS UK offer private ratings?

 

NABERS UK offers third party certification that can give owners/clients confidence in their ratings, and transparency of their achievements to their stakeholders that will ready them for disclosure requirements in the future.

However, it is also a tool to help inform the sustainability journey of an office building, and there may be some hesitation from clients to publish a rating.

NABERS UK is committed to supporting all offices on their sustainability journey. For this reason, whilst publicly sharing ratings is strongly encouraged, private ratings are also available.

 

Do NABERS UK Assessors need to be trained for Design for Performance?

 

Licensed Assessors are only qualified to conduct NABERS Energy Ratings on operational buildings. Design for Performance doesn’t require any assessment of a building as the purpose of the scheme is for developers or owners to commit their new build or major refurbishment to a Target Rating based on the buildings design, and for one of our Independent Design Review Panellists to review their Rating Achievement Plan.

 

Can BRE advise on how to achieve a specific NABERS Rating?

 

BRE is the Scheme Administrator and therefore can only advise on the administration of the scheme e.g. registration, certification, training and licensing. We can also advise on the information covered on our website and in the guidance documents such as the Rules and Guide to Design for Performance. It is the client’s responsibility to contract consultants and energy simulators to improve the energy efficiency of the building. We also recommend contacting an Independent Design Review Panellist [link] for any technical queries you have in relation to Design for Performance.

 

Can I apply to become an Independent Design Review (IDR) Panellist?

 

Recruitment for our IDR Panel is currently closed. We will notify our mailing list and advertise on our website when we are recruiting more panellists. Please register here to join our mailing list.

 

Can I change my target rating following signing a DfP Agreement?

 

You can change your target rating during your Independent Design Review (IDR) where your chosen IDR panellist will review your target rating against your Rating Achievement Report and provide you with your final Design Reviewed Target Rating. Therefore, we recommend targeting a lower rating and leaving it to the IDR Stage to confirm a higher target. Please note that once you have received your final Design Reviewed Target Rating or NABERS Energy Rating, this cannot be revised.

 

Can my rating be removed from the website once published?

 

BRE will remove any rating at our own discretion, provided written confirmation from the applicant has been provided to request it to be removed.

 

What is the average NABERS Rating of buildings in the UK?

 

The average building is sitting at 3 stars or less. Therefore we would recommend targeting 4 or 4.5 stars, with the IDR stage and annual NABERS Rating Renewals providing opportunity to improve this.

 

Energy for Offices: Is my building eligible for a NABERS Rating?

 

Please read the Eligibility Criteria in section 3.1 in the Rules for Energy for Offices.

 

Can I use in-house assessors for my NABERS Rating?

 

Yes, however your assessor must claim conflict of interest when submitting the Rating.