News and Updates
On this page we publish the latest news and updates related to the Commercial Building Disclosure scheme and BEEC certification process and regulations.
CBD Scheme Latest News and Updates
Tax Breaks For Green Buildings
20 January 2011
From 1st July 2011 businesses that invest in eligible assets or capital works to improve the energy efficiency performance of an existing building may be eligible to apply for a one-off bonus tax deduction. The tax deduction will cover specified capital expenditure which is incurred as part of a qualifying retrofit of an existing office building, hotel or shopping centre. Eligible businesses will be able to claim a bonus tax deduction of 50% of specified capital expenditure invested in improving the energy efficiency performance of the existing building.
The retrofit must be assessed by an accredited National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) assessor before and after the project. To be eligible for the tax break, the building must achieve an improvement in energy efficiency from 2 stars NABERS or lower to 4 stars NABERS or higher between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2015.
The Tax Breaks for Green Buildings program complements other Australian Government programs such as the Commercial Buildings Mandatory Disclosure program and the Green Building Fund. Action to improve the energy performance of Australia's building stock is an important step to achieving Australia's emissions reduction objectives. The Government will seek to introduce legislation establishing the Tax Breaks for Green Buildings program in the first half of 2011. A consultation paper was prepared to explain the key features of the proposed program design, in particular, the eligibility criteria and assessment and certification processes which was closed on 18 February 2011.
Disclosure of Tenancy Lighting Energy Efficiency Assessment: release of options paper for consultation
17 January 2011
Implementation of the Tenancy Lighting Energy Efficiency component of the BEEC has been delayed until 1 November 2011 to allow further development of the assessment methodology and consultation with the industry. The draft rules which was prepared in May 2010, have been trialed in a number of buildings in southern Queensland and Sydney over the last several months to test their practical application in the market and to clarify issues that may need to be addressed. A broad range of building sizes, shapes, ages and tenancy arrangements and fitouts have been considered to represent an adequate sample from the commercial building market. The trial is designed to identify the time required to conduct the assessment as well as specific aspects that will be required in development of the assessor training. NABERS Energy Tenancy Lighting Assessment Rules for Offices – Draft Version 9.1; June 2010 (Download PDF 856 Kb) and NABERS Energy Tenancy Lighting Assessment Rules for Offices – Draft assessment form; June 2010 (Download PDF 618 Kb) are being used in the trial.
"Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010 – Tenancy Lighting Energy Efficiency Assessment Options paper – for Consultation" (Download PDF 1.56 MB) outlines the policy context for the Tenancy Lighting Energy Efficiency Assessment component of the BEEC and briefly summarises the development of the methodology to date as well as the outcomes of the trial of the draft rules. It proposes several options for modifying these to obtain a meaningful lighting energy efficiency assessment in a cost effective way for the bulk of the market. The implications on the quality of the assessment and the cost of these modifications are also discussed. Public opinion is sought before the rules are being finalised in March 2011. You can visit http://www.cbd.gov.au/ to provide your comments.
Amendments concerning mixed use buildings and refurbishments
29 November 2010
There have been recent changes made to the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure (Disclosure Affected Buildings) Determination concerning mixed use buildings and buildings which have undergone major refurbishments.
Mixed use buildings
After working with industry stakeholders to address difficulties in the metering of office areas in mixed use office buildings (Combined office space with other space functions like warehouses, medical centres, hotels, retail centres, etc.) which normally share the energy metering with non office spaces the Government has decided, as an interim approach, that mixed use buildings with less than 75% office space of the NLA (or GLA where NLA is not the industry standard) to be exempt from disclosing a NABERS Energy rating.
A panel of industry experts will review this approach during the transition period of the program and will report back to the Government before the end of July 2011. New announcements will be given regarding the appropriate approach for these types of buildings with sufficient time frame for the industry to adapt to new requirements.
Owners of buildings with less than 75% of office space can voluntarily lodge their NABERS ratings on the Building Energy Efficiency Register.
Refurbishments
Office buildings which has undergone major refurbishments with substantial effect on the energy efficiency performance of the base building are exempt from disclosing a NABERS Energy rating to get a BEEC for two years after the issuance date of occupation certificate.
Major refurbishments are those that involve substantial changes being made to the fabric, plant or equipment in the building and require a certificate of occupancy issued under a law of a State or Territory, prior to the building being occupied or reoccupied. Download Media Release ( PDF 105 Kb)
Online form for registering NABERS ratings on the Building Energy Efficiency Register
12 November 2010
When registering a BEEC, the NABERS Energy ratings can be registered on the Building Energy Efficiency Register at the time of applying to DECCW for the rating by ticking the relevant option on the NABERS application form. Otherwise a new form is available at CBD website to request the rating of a premises to be registered on the Building Energy Efficiency Register, where a premises has a current NABERS Energy rating and is not already listed on the register.
Mark Dreyfus launches new measures to boost energy efficiency in office buildings
1 November 2010 - Media release
The Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus, launched the Commercial Building Disclosure program. This program is a key step in creating a more energy efficient building sector, with commercial buildings currently accounting for about 10 per cent of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions. Download Media Release ( PDF 278 Kb)
Adjustment to NABERS Energy Rating for Victorian Office Buildings
27 October 2010
NABERS Energy rating benchmarks for Victoria have been adjusted to ensure they are nationally consistent prior to the commencement of the Commercial Building Disclosure program.
Following industry calls for the Victorian benchmark to be brought into line with the rest of the country, and consultations between the Victorian Government and industry, it was decided these benchmarks should be adjusted so that all ratings will be directly comparable across the country. The rating adjustment potentially affects buildings with existing NABERS Energy ratings from 0 to 4 stars. Affected ratings will be higher than previous ratings.
Matthew Clark, Manager Built Environment at the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) said an alternative approach was taken when the Victorian benchmarks were set ten years ago. This meant in practice that the performance of Victorian buildings could only be compared to other Victorian buildings.
While the better performing buildings achieving 4.5 and 5 stars were not affected, ratings for buildings at the lower end of the scale were receiving slightly lower ratings than equivalent buildings in other states.
“The NABERS National Steering Committee has been working closely with industry to align the rating thresholds for with all other states before the introduction of the CBD program on 1 November,” Mr. Clark said.
“While the difference in Victorian benchmarks did not affect the accuracy of the NABERS ratings, the application of the same benchmarking methodology nationally means building performance can be compared across the country. There will be an average of a 1 star increase for Victorian buildings with lower ratings, while there will be no impact on buildings achieving ratings or 4.5 or 5 stars. It’s important to understand that the relative position of rated buildings in to one another will not change.”
The Victorian building owners with a current NABERS Energy rating will receive an updated rating certificate with their revised rating next week.
Owners of affected buildings have received upgraded energy rating certificates to reflect these adjustments. Any NABERS Energy ratings issued, including ratings applications being processed, will use the new benchmark. For the purposes of the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010, either the original or the amended ratings may be used for within their 12-month NABERS validity period.
Minister announces the CBD program
25 June 2010 - Media release
Minister Wong announced the passage of the Commercial Building Disclosure Bill through the Parliament in a media release on 25 June 2010. "These are important milestones for Australia as we move towards our clean energy future," Senator Wong said. Download Media Release ( PDF 79 Kb)
