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NABERS & CBD ASSESSOR CONFERENCE 2014
Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... 1
1. EVENT PURPOSE ................................................................................................................................. 2
NABERS and CBD collaboration ......................................................................................................... 2
2. EVENT PARTICIPATION ....................................................................................................................... 2
Assessor attendee snapshot statistics ............................................................................................... 3
3. EVENT OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................. 4
Program Insights ................................................................................................................................ 4
Industry Perspectives ......................................................................................................................... 5
Program Enhancements .................................................................................................................... 5
Focusing on Solutions ........................................................................................................................ 7
Business Drivers ................................................................................................................................. 7
Program Insights ................................................................................................................................ 9
Buildings in Focus ............................................................................................................................... 9
Technical Forum ............................................................................................................................... 10
4. CONSULTATION OUTCOMES ........................................................................................................... 11
Technical issues ................................................................................................................................ 11
Process Improvements .................................................................................................................... 12
Training & Continuous Professional Development ......................................................................... 12
Communications .............................................................................................................................. 13
5. FEEDBACK ON THE EVENT ............................................................................................................... 14
Popular aspects of the conference .................................................................................................. 14
Suggestions for improvement ......................................................................................................... 14
Positive feedback ............................................................................................................................. 15
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................. 16
Appendix 1 – Conference program ................................................................................................. 16
Appendix 2 – Event evaluation survey results ................................................................................. 18
Appendix 3 – Focusing on Solutions – Assessor feedback .............................................................. 27
3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Event CBD and NABERS Assessor Conference 2014
Date 5‐6th
May 2014
Venue Novotel Sydney, Darling Harbour, NSW
Registered 139 attendees (101 Assessors)
Attended 123 attendees (83 Assessors)
Sessions 7 sessions made up of: 14 lecture style presentations, 3 professional development
sessions (repeated twice), and 1 consultation session. A Technical Forum staffed by
NABERS/CBD teams was also held during the days and a conference dinner with
guest speaker was held on the first night.
Funding The conference was jointly funded by the Australian Government Department of
Industry and the NABERS program.
The NABERS & CBD Assessor Conference held in Darling Harbour on 5th‐6th May 2014 presented a
diverse range of speakers and provided an opportunity for Assessors and programs to exchange ideas
about the programs in a two‐way conversation. The event was attended by 83 Assessors, including 56
CBD Assessors, with a good representation of new and highly experienced Assessors, and nearly three
quarters from within NSW.
The NABERS and CBD teams received feedback on a range of program topics during the conference
and on the event itself in an evaluation survey completed by 90% of attending Assessors. Feedback
about the conference was very positive and there was a high level of support for it to be held on
either an annual or biennial basis in future. Networking was regarded as the most useful aspect of the
event, followed by interaction with the CBD and NABERS program teams. There was a high level of
satisfaction with the overall event organisation and attendees appreciated it being co‐hosted by the
two programs.
Program topics for discussion at the event were nominated by Assessors and the program teams
ahead of the conference. Feedback was given in dedicated interactive discussion sessions as well as
informally throughout the conference. The issues discussed fell into the following categories:
- Technical issues – TLA and NABERS rules
- Process improvements – NABERS Website and BEECs
- Training & Continuous Professional Development – New options and existing opportunities
- Communications – supporting Assessors, providing more data and marketing NABERS.
The majority of participants found presentations that related to program performance, operations
and technical rulings to be of the greatest value. The most popular presentations were:
- NABERS & CBD Program Statistics
- CBD Tenancy Lighting Assessment V2 Rules
- Under the Hood ‐ CBD and NABERS operations
- Stream C ‐ Targeted Cost Effective Performance
Suggestions for improving the event included hosting in‐depth technical sessions on specific topics
and other NABERS tools and other proposals for ensuring that the event meets the ongoing need for
communicating rules changes and technical issues and solutions in an interactive way.
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1. EVENT PURPOSE
NABERS and CBD collaboration
The National Australian Built Environment Rating Scheme (NABERS) program is a national
environmental performance rating scheme for commercial buildings that is administered by the NSW
Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH). NABERS ratings are conducted by NABERS Assessors that
are accredited by OEH.
The Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) Program is managed by the Australian Government
Department of Industry and requires energy efficiency information ‐ including Tenancy Lighting
Assessments undertaken by CBD Assessors and current NABERS energy ratings ‐ to be disclosed at the
point of sale or lease for commercial office space over 2000m2
. Being accredited by OEH as a NABERS
Assessor is a prerequisite to becoming a CBD Assessor.
The NABERS and CBD programs have had an increased focus on productive collaboration and co‐
hosted this event to strengthen their partnership and engage more effectively with Assessors on
program delivery issues.
The conference was designed to seek input from NABERS and CBD Assessors on program operations
and to communicate important program announcements to industry through face‐to‐face two‐way
dialogue.
2. EVENT PARTICIPATION
The 123 conference attendees included:
- 40 people from the CBD and NABERS programs, industry professionals and speakers
- 83 NABERS Assessors, Trainers, Supervisors and Auditors including:
- 64 Accredited Assessors
- 56 CBD Assessors
- 10 Trainee Assessors
- 1 Auditor/Supervisor; and
- 8 NABERS Trainers, including 4 NABERS Auditors and 6 NABERS Supervisors.
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Assessor attendee snapshot statistics
Geographical distribution
The majority of attending Assessors were from
NSW (73%), which is an over‐representation of the
NSW Assessor population (40%).
Length of time as a NABERS Assessor
The conference had a good mix of Assessors
that have been with NABERS before and after
the CBD program was introduced.
Attendee accreditation status
Attending Assessors were a good representation
of accredited assessors, trainees and auditors,
supervisors and trainers.
Attending CBD Assessors accreditation status
The CBD Assessors in attendance were mostly
Accredited NABERS Assessors.
All Assessor experience
The following graph shows the breakdown of the
whole Assessor population by number of NABERS
ratings they’ve undertaken:
Attendee assessor experience
Compared to the broader Assessor population,
conference attendees have a higher level of
experience doing NABERS ratings, with double
the proportion having done more than 50
ratings.
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3. EVENT OVERVIEW
The two‐day conference was a diverse program of speaker presentations and interactive sessions
facilitated by the CBD and NABERS program teams and industry partners. Mr Phil Wilkinson, CEO of
AIRAH, was the event MC, and had a high approval rating with 95% of surveyed participants rating the
MC to be either good, very good or excellent.
The conference presentations were grouped into ‘themed’ sessions held over the two days. This
section summarises the sessions and the value the attendees placed on each presentation in their
feedback:
Program Insights
This opening session provided the overarching program governance and management
perspective and communicated the strategic context of the programs.
Program Directions
Senior Department of Industry, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and NABERS Stakeholder
Advisory Committee representatives provided an introductory overview of the governance,
evolution and strategic direction of the programs.
55% of attendees rated this session to be highly or extremely valuable.
Program Performance
NABERS and CBD presented on their program directions and outlined strategic priorities, key
achievements and industry collaborations. Program performance was communicated using key
statistics and an overview of recent program activities.
These presentations were popular with over a third of survey participants rating them to be
‘extremely valuable’ and no participants rating them ‘not valuable’.
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Industry Perspectives
This session provided the industry perspective on the importance of sustainability and
NABERS ratings to property industry planning and marketing.
The Mirvac Sustainability Plan
Mirvac introduced its new sustainability plan including its commitments and use of NABERS ratings
in its operations. Assessors were given an insight into long‐term planning and strategic directions of
one of the biggest property portfolio managers to help better understand their client’s
requirements when rating their buildings.
Marketing Sustainability
The Republic of Everyone showcased different opportunities to market sustainability and presented
some preliminary concepts for promoting NABERS rating through various media such as artful
displays in building foyers.
This presentation was well received, and 69% reported it to be highly/extremely valuable.
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Program Enhancements
This session showcased recent initiatives to enhance the existing CBD and NABERS program
offerings, both from within the programs and by industry partners.
RICS LEASA App
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) LEASA app is a mobile device app that helps
commercial office tenants make informed decisions about the environmental performance f the
tenancies they are considering to lease.
TLA Rules V2
Dr Paul Bannister reviewed the updated CBD Tenancy Lighting Assessment rules Version 2.0 in detail.
This presentation and discussion was the most valued at the conference, with 42% rating it to be
extremely valuable.
CitySwitch Program Update
NABERS program partner CitySwitch explained how their program helps tenants to make changes in
their energy use. CitySwitch promotes the use of NABERS ratings and subsidises Assessor costs for its
member tenants.
NABERS Indoor Environment Enhancements
NABERS presented the latest enhancements on the IE tool and an update on the progress of the IE
tool review. This topic was also discussed in the afternoon consultation session.
This presentation was not rated as highly as other sessions, with less than half of survey participants
rating it to be highly/extremely valuable.
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Focusing on Solutions
In this last session of the day, attendees chose different roundtable discussions to actively
discuss current issues and program developments. The outcomes of this session are
presented in Section 4 of this report.
The session started with a look at the CBD and NABERS program changes that had been made
following previous Assessor and industry feedback.
The consultation sessions were run as two half‐hour sessions and were focused around the following
topics, which were nominated by Assessors and the program areas:
Commitment Agreements NABERS website / NABERS Rate Cogeneration Ruling
Data & Infographics Aligning BEECs, TLAs & NABERS Training & CPD
Communication Indoor Environment Promotion & Business Support.
A high proportion of attendees found this session to be extremely valuable.
Conference Dinner
The conference day finished with pre‐dinner drinks and was followed by interesting guest
speaker Tim Jarvis giving insights into his most recent polar expedition.
Two‐thirds of all participants attended the conference dinner, which provided a good platform to
network with peers and discuss the presentations held during the day. The additional networking
opportunity and the inspiring speaker were regarded highly by 93% of the participants.
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Business Drivers
This opening session of Day Two was focused on the broader business of the programs,
including the financial value of NABERS ratings, the marketing of Assessor services and
potential implementation of a continuous development program.
IPD Green Index
IPD presented their latest report the “Green Property Index” with detailed information on how green
office buildings have continued to outperform the broader office market across a range of financial
indicators.
Introducing the Assessor Marketing Toolkit
NABERS team outlined the content of a new marketing toolkit to replace the current brand
guidelines.
The Future of NABERS Training
The NABERS team introduced options on the future directions of the NABERS training and
accreditation processes and a potential NABERS CPD program.
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Program Insights
This was a joint session of four presentations by the CBD and NABERS audit and operations
teams designed to provide Assessors with a look ‘under the hood’ at how these core
program processes work.
This session was well regarded by attendees, with 75% rating it highly or extremely valuable.
Buildings in Focus
These streamed sessions aimed to provide professional development for Assessors in key
areas of interest in built environment sustainability.
Three sessions were run twice in parallel, allowing the participants to split into smaller groups and
pick two topics they were most interested in.
Stream A – A Rating Master Class
NABERS Auditor, Supervisor and Trainer PC Thomas provided expert advice on critical rating issues.
Stream B ‐ Energy for Building Managers
Dr Stephen White, CSIRO, took a look at the future of buildings. This session received a high
proportion of ‘not very valuable’ ratings.
Stream C – Targeted Cost‐Effective Performance
Trainer Steve Hennessy reviewed the cost effectiveness of typical retrofits and how to match the
upgrade to the building
This presentation was rated highly by attendees, with three quarters of survey participants rating it as
highly/extremely valuable.
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Technical Forum
The conference venue also had a dedicated area set up with laptops and large screen TVs for
Assessors to talk with NABERS and CBD technical teams about the programs. This area was staffed for
the majority of the time over the two days, and was well‐used by Assessors giving feedback and
seeking answers on the rules and website issues.
The Forum was well received, with 78% rating it as very good or excellent, and no‐one rating it as
poor.
Conference Wrap Up
The conference was closed by NABERS and CBD representatives with a summary of the conference
outcomes and the announcement of ‘next steps’ for both programs. Many participants stayed past
the conference close time to network with peers and NABERS and CBD staff.
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4. CONSULTATION OUTCOMES
In the ‘Focusing on Solutions’ session on the first day, participants split into groups to discuss current
issues, future developments and program improvements. Program team members were represented
at each roundtable to record the discussion and outcomes.
Assessor feedback on areas for improvement in the NABERS and CBD programs fell into the following
broad categories:
Technical issues
TLA rules
NABERS rules
Process improvements
NABERS website & NABERS Rate
BEECs and ratings
Training & Continuous Professional
Development
New training and CPD options
Making use of existing resources
Communications
Supporting Assessors in their business
Making information and data available
High‐level marketing of NABERS
This key issues and solutions discussed, including informal feedback provided throughout the
conference, are summarised below, with a complete list of recorded feedback at Appendix 3.
Technical issues
Tenancy Lighting Assessment rules
Changes to CBD Tenancy Lighting Assessment Rules V.2.0 were generally well perceived, but the
practicality of some rule changes were suggested to be reviewed:
- It can take additional time to confirm if the layout is a grid or representative but the methods
should provide quite similar results. Choosing between aggregate method 1, 2 and 3 is
intuitive and used to happen even with V1.
- Selecting specific lamp types can be time consuming and while valuable isn’t the primary
purpose of the TLA, which is to provide prospective tenants with an indication of the impact
of lighting on their outgoings. The TLA is not an exercise of lighting design.
NABERS rules
Rulings
Assessors felt that the turnaround time for rulings should be shorter and rulings should be better
communicated once completed and also expressed views on specific rules:
- The NABERS Cogeneration Ruling should be generically called ‘fuel switching’ and not be
technology specific, so that the rule is future‐proofed and the general principles mostly stay
the same irrespective of the technology or type of fuel used.
- Rules around correct non‐utility gas meter validation should be updated and explained.
New tools
- It was proposed that NABERS tools for private schools and universities should be developed.
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Commitment Agreements
At the session on Commitment Agreements (CAs), Assessors provided specific feedback on ways to
improve quality assurance of the CA process:
- CAs should expire within three years of buildings being fully operational
- Buildings that don’t achieve their targets after two consecutive ratings should be removed
from the register
- Provide clear guidance and clearly outline consequences if the targeted rating is not achieved
- Clarify the NABERS and Green Star modelling requirements.
- Provide clear guidance and more stringent rules on extensions of CAs
- Modellers should be trained by NABERS to ensure high quality.
- NABERS NZ could benefit from the CA model once the market for NABERS ratings matures.
- CAs should be investigated for Data Centres and Shopping Centres.
Process Improvements
NABERS Website and NABERS Rate
- NABERS Rate should be compatible with Windows8, provides and export into excel function
and allows copy/paste, include default hours for vacant spaces, fix a bug in decimal
formatting.
- The website speed should be improved and automatic alerts for inactive ratings and
authorisation processes should be set up.
Streamline BEECs and ratings
- There was broad support for NABERS and CBD to work together to align BEEC/NABERS rating
and renewal processes, including introducing a one step process for BEEC applications.
- Each building should have a single NABERS rating identification number with an issue number
at the end, eg. N0669/13, to make it easier to track ratings and buildings.
Training & Continuous Professional Development
Participants were generally in favour of a CPD program and making enhancements to the training to
ensure a high quality of ratings and the robust reputation of NABERS. There was some reservation
about the likely investment required and Assessors expressed a preference for flexible, low‐cost
solutions that worked in with other industry CPD programs.
Consider new training and CPD options
Assessors indicated a demand for additional training options to be incorporated into training or CPD
including:
- Online courses, webinars and exams for specific modules relating to each tool
- Site tours
- Energy modelling training for Commitment Agreements
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- CPD training to relate only to NABERS Rules and Rulings, including quizzes and virtual ratings.
Make use of existing resources
Some Assessors wanted the NABERS CPD program to recognise and incentivise existing activities
including:
- Delivering CPD training in collaboration with industry training partners such as AIRAH
- Recognising CPD points from other related programs such as RICS and the GBCA
- Crediting high activity Assessors that do a lot of ratings or present at conferences.
Communications
Support Assessors in their business
Suggestions to improve the level of marketing and communications support provided directly to
Assessors businesses included:
- Sending reminders to customers to contact their Assessor when their ratings are coming up
- Increasing the range of Assessor profile information displayed on the NABERS website
- Providing information on the NABERS rating certification about how far away customers are
from the next star rating
- Undertaking detailed market analysis on the market potential for ratings for Assessors.
Make more information and data available
At the consultation sessions and throughout the conference Assessors provided feedback about the
need for the programs to provide useful information and data to Assessors, customers and the public.
This included:
- Making the resources page more accessible on the NABERS website
- Publishing more case studies
- CBD and NABERS teams publishing org charts that show team members, contact details and
areas of responsibility.
- Conduct a biennial survey to report progress and receive assessor and customer feedback.
Specific feedback on program data and infographics included:
- Provide stats in the program newsletters.
- Release market penetration figures by location,
- Show state, city & industry average ratings, average NLA, energy use mix and energy and
water intensity.
- Make historic NABERS ratings available
- Make it easy to search online for ratings with and without GreenPower.
Undertake high‐level marketing of NABERS
Assessors provided the following suggestions for the NABERS team to increase their marketing efforts
for the program in general as well as for specific tools.
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- Progress policy within government and corporates to prefer hotels with a NABERS rating
- Hold small low cost breakfast events for Assessors throughout the year with Assessors to vote
on topics for discussion
- Have clear key promotional messages for the Indoor Environment tool around employee
productivity, with a focus on IE tenancy ratings
- Provide case studies on water efficiency
- Encourage 6 star Commitment Agreements
- Drive more competition between customers using awards and better use of CitySwitch.
5. FEEDBACK ON THE EVENT
Popular aspects of the conference
The overall feedback for the event was very positive. 81% of attendees indicated that they found the
conference extremely or highly useful and the event to be of high professional value.
Participants rated the overall quality of the event organisation highly, with 95% rating it to be very
good or excellent.
The evaluation survey asked participants which aspects of the event they found to be the most useful.
Networking
Feedback from the survey indicated that networking was the most useful aspect of the conference to
Assessors (27 comments). Specifically, they valued the chance to discuss issues with other Assessors
and the opportunity to meet the administrators face‐to‐face.
Program updates
Hearing updates from the team about the program was the second most useful aspect of the
conference to Assessors (19 comments). Specifically, they enjoyed the insight into the strategic
direction of the programs, the ‘program insights’ sessions, and the ‘under the hood’ session.
Professional development sessions
Assessors also found the streamed professional development sessions highly useful (14 comments).
Assessors commented that the external speakers were ‘inspiring’. Whilst some thought there should
have been more external speakers, almost an equal number thought that there should have been
less. The TLA version 2 discussion was particularly popular, as was PC Thomas’ ‘rating master class’. A
number of Assessors stated that they would have liked the TLA discussion to have lasted longer.
Consultation sessions
The small group consultation sessions received some positive feedback in the survey (4 comments),
and NABERS team members received informal feedback during the conference that there should have
been more time allocated to consultation.
Suggestions for improvement
Most suggestions to improve the event were focused around changing the topics discussed or the
structure of the event. Specific suggestions included:
- Arranging site visits as part of the conference
- Including more case studies
- Streaming the sessions based on tool type
- Having more professional development sessions
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- Having less professional development sessions
- Including more technical discussions about difficult buildings and rulings
- Including less technical discussions and focusing more on value‐add skills, such as project
managing upgrades
- Including an awards ceremony.
Positive feedback
Finally, it is worth highlighting the 12 additional comments provided on the survey that indicated a
high level of satisfaction with the event:
“All the people associated with NABERS/CBD seem to be motivated, driven and very like‐minded.
Working daily with a system you know to be clear and effective provides people with a sense of
purpose.”
“It was very good to meet the team (in person) and other assessors to discuss the new revisions to
rules, issues experienced and also as a village share the knowledge to work together. Keep up the good
work NABERS & CBD team!”
“Well organized, relevant and interesting topics”
“Inspiring to have outside of NABERS speakers there”
“It was really good to meet the NABERS & CBD Team and also to understand what happens behind the
scene once the ratings are submitted.”
“Overall an informative session”
“The segments that focussed on how the rating tools work and tips and tricks for conducting ratings
on site were very helpful to me as an assessor.”
“Great balance of subjects with right duration and approach. I like the fact that the presentations were
not long but comprehensive enough to make it interesting, even the subjects which were not in my
direct area of interest.”
“It was useful to meet many NABERS and CBD people I been contacting for a long period time.”
“It is great to meet all the NABERS and CBD people in person and discuss their issues, as well as ours.”
“Great to see what the NABERS team is up to and great to meet all the NABERS assessors.”
“The conference was a great success and reinforced the strength of the NABERS brand in the
commercial building sector. It was a platform to meet up face to face with the professionals practicing
within the NABERS and CBD space.”
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Appendix 2 – Event evaluation survey results
NABERS & CBD Assessor Conference ‐ post conference survey
57 respondents of the 63 Assessors that attended (90% response rate)
Q1 How would you rate the overall usefulness and value of the conference?
Comments
A 1 day conference would be better.
After spending the last 12‐18 months working overseas and having little to do with either CBD or NABERS
recently, it was good to be able to catch up with the latest program activities via the conference.
All the people associated with NABERS/CBD seem to be motivated, driven and very like‐minded. Working daily
with a system you know to be clear and effective provides people with a sense of purpose.
As useful as it was to hear directly from tthe NABERS & CBD teams themselves I would have liked to see more
speakers from industry providing advice/tips/personal experience.
Awards Ceremony next!
CBD & NABERS TEAM Feedback: CBD and NABERS teams should have their organisational chart on the
website (live update whenever there is a change), contact us section on the website should include domain/
area specific contact person details for correspondence, queries and feedback. There should be a link to
these in both the CBD and NABERS newsletters so all assessor who join the program at different times are
aware of it. NABERS Team Specific Feedback: Nabers Assessor ‐ practical site audit training: I believe the
NABERS Assessor training program lacks the practical element of site training which will be extremely useful
for fresh graduate trainee assessor or assessors who want to brush up their skills for site audit. If the graduates
are trained well on this aspect from the onset they will habitually get the most accurate and best results from
a site audit, rather than learning on their own with a possibility to make mistakes and do thing the wrong way
throughout their career. Suggestions on training module: Should be an optional module as part of the
training package for those who would like to enrol mentored by industry experts in building audits as part of a
CPD program (Should be made compulsory course on CPD for fresh graduates, to be attained in a 2 year
timeframe) CPD program can be in collaboration with AIRAH or other reputed industry bodies to ease
workload of OEH, Each session should have a small group of 5‐10 trainee’s, working with building owners,
Targeted marketing and awareness is required to instigate the take‐up of the programme and to garner
support from industry and owners. Supervised ratings: It has become hard for some trainee assessors to
get supervised ratings as there are tighter deadlines now to rerate asset due to CBD legislations or most of the
market is captured by big or medium consultancies who conduct bulk ratings. This leaves assessors whose
employers are generally not in the business of doing ratings or sole traders out in the cold. During my
discussion with assessors at the conference I found that quite a few of them are willing to undertake
supervised ratings for free to complete the supervision requirement. I believe OEH can be a driving force in
facilitating this by adding a section to the website where; ‐ Trainee assessor can add their name to a
database of assessors willing to complete 2 supervised rating for free or at cost. Smaller or single asset
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owners who are required to complete ratings for CBD and tenancies who want to get rated although haven’t
done so due to financial implication can used their services can get rated. This will increase the uptake of
ratings and give trainee assessor access to assets. If implemented OEH needs to market and raise awareness
of this services to both assessors and asset owners. Commitment agreements: Agreement procedure and
duration. Review of commitment agreement guidelines, agreements to expiry in 3 years once building is fully
operational (has OC and 75% occupancy), publicly list building who have not achieved target after 2
consecutive ratings and drop them of the agreement register. Commitment agreement modelling training.
CPD training course for building modellers on how to accurately model for NABERS in different scenarios and
for varied building types to achieve positive outcomes when actual rating completed. This can even include a
certificate of attendance for the NABERS modelling training (may be a 1 or more days of training). This will
benefit owners and industry to seek consultants for commitment agreement modelling from the pool who
have undergone the training to achieve accurate performance based rating outcomes when it comes to
officially rating the building. Cogen Ruling: Cogen ruling should be renamed as fuel switching or something
generic and should include any alternative fuel to future proof the rules, rather than spend years on new
rulings a specific technology which may create a bias towards it. The general principles of the rule will mostly
stay the same irrespective of type of fuel used CNG, LPG, Biofuel, Methane etc. even Solar in some cases when
it may not be direct offset. Generation side: Fuel in ‐> Electricity + Hot water + Chilled water + Waste heat
(generally this is true). Proportioning side: Raw Fuel in total ‐> Raw Fuel for entity 1 + Raw Fuel for entity 2 +
Raw Fuel for entity 3. I believe if we look at this holistic approach in most part the rules and formulae will
stay the same the only change will be emission factors. Examples: 1. Large solar array on top of an industrial
plant which uses minimum amount as there isn’t much load and supplied an office building and a shopping
centre in the vicinity. 2. Waste to energy facilities supplying direct or indirect power + heat +chilled water to
assets in its vicinity. 3. Biofuel generators. CBD Team Specific Feedback: TLA Rules V.2: Assessment
Method: I would request that changed be made to change the priority process in V2 with regards to selection
of grid method or aggregate method 1 as it would require additional time in some cases to confirm if the
layout is a grid or representative, when on site if it’s not obvious at first glance the assessor should be able to
use aggregate method 1 in place of grid. Generally these two methods should provide quiet similar results.
Choosing between aggregate method 1, 2 and 3 is intuitive as a natural progression and used to happen even
with version 1 in most cases. Lamp types: It good that assessors now have an option to choose from
specific lamp types, although in most cases it difficult to get the lamp info to the level of detail such as T5 ECO
HE, T5 HIGH ECO HE etc. and can be extremely time consuming. As there isn’t much difference within each
technology type such as T12, T8, T5, etc. there should be default lamp types with worst case scenario formulae
for each lamp type e.g. T8 or T5 to choose from where detailed info is not readily available. We need to look at
cost benefit of going to a certain level of detail while keeping in mind the overall purpose of obtaining a TLA if
providing prospective tenants with a good indication of NLPD of the tenancy they are about to lease and what
the impact on their outgoings would be rather than an exercise of lighting design for a brand new building or
fit out.
going through the new rules for CBD and the assessment procedures was very helpful in maintaining
understanding of the systems and informing our clients of the reasoning behind NABERS and CBD
Good practical sessions
Great balance of subjects with right duration and approach. I like the fact that the presentations were not long
but comprehensive enough to make it interesting, even the subjects which were not in my direct area of
interest.
great to see what the NABERS team is up to and great to meet all the NABERS assessors.
I was surprised on how little focus there was on the new CBD v2 rules, that was my main reason for attending.
There should have been a more detailed session and worked example (this could have been seen by the
audiences confusion and comments). The session titled "Masterclass" seems also somewhat misleading with
the contents.
Inspring to have outside of NABERS speakers there
It is great to meet all the NABERS and CBD people in person and discuss their issues, as well as ours.
It was really good to meet the NABERS & CBD Team and also to understand what happens behind the scene
once the ratings are submitted. Overall an informative session
It was useful to meet many NABERS and CBD people I been contacting for a long period time.
It was very good to meet the team (in person) and other assessors to discuss the new revisions to rules, issues
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experienced and also as a village share the knowledge to work together. Keep up the good work NABERS &
CBD team!
Maybe more or longer of these "interactive workshops". Seemed to get everyone’s head working and lots of
information was exchanged and ideas captured.
Meeting and talking with department personnel and colleagues.
No additional comment
Only rated the sessions attended.
Still too much just refering back to the Rules and not enough guidance on how to actually apply the rules in
real world.
The conference was a great success and reinforced the strength of the NABERS brand in the commercial
building sector. It was a platform to meet up face to face with the professionals practicing within the NABERS
and CBD space.
The feedback sessions were very helpful.
The segments that focussed on how the rating tools works and tips and tricks for conducting ratings on site
were very helpful to me as an assessor. I can see how the Stream A/B/C sections at the end of the conference
would have been very beneficial to a number of the attendees but as an engineer with extensive building
services experience they did not provide any information or tips to me beyond what we do as standard
practice. I believe that they are a good segment and should be retained for future conferences, they just
simply did not provide any benefit to me because of my experience in the field.
well organised, relevant and interesting topics
Q2 We're interested in the professional value that you got from the presentations and group
sessions (listed below in chronological order). Please rate how valuable you found the sessions
you attended:
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Q3 What aspect of the conference did you find most useful?
The overview of how the systems are performing and what updates have occurred in regards to the rules and
the back of house processes
A Rating Master Class
Background information of what is going on at OEH and CBD. Talking to other assessors (to see that all face
the same issues). Exchanging ideas, experiences and information between assessors and the departments.
Tim Jarvis' presentation as it gives me another perspective of "planning" and "real challenges".
Being able to meet people and understand a bit more about the issues they face and the challenges that result
from the NABERS and CBD processes
Being among peers and staff from both teams and gathering the feel of the industry. The healthy options of
the food offering were really impressive; and the unhealthy stacked brownies on the last break ‐ wow were
they good!!!! Yes, I lost count of how many I ate.
CBD Tenancy Lighting Assessment V2 Rules. It allowed us to discuss as a group our interpretation of the Rules
and the road blocks we are encountering when putting theory into practice. It is good to know there is a
shared concern about the implications of the new Aggregated Method 3.
Clarification on the expected turn over days for certification
Detailed explanation of the new V2 rules. Meeting the NABERS team.
Discussions with the teams
Face to face interactions with the CBD NABERS Team, an update on what been happening in the background
with CBD NABERS teams restructure and works. Discussions with other industry peers opportunities and
concerns. Existing tools enhancements. what's been happening in the industry.
General update of all aspects of the two programs ‐ I thought standard of presentations was very good and a
lot of preparation had gone into the two days. Also of course very good to interact with other assessors and
well as program staff at OEH & Dept Industry. The dinner and speaker was also really enjoyable.
Getting a general feel for the directions and the size of the NABERS community.
Getting to meet the NABERS and CBD team members and having a chance to discuss various aspects and
developments of each program.
Meeting a taking to the NABERS/CBD Government Teams
Meeting other energy efficiency professionals
Meeting the CBD / NABERS team
NABERS & CBD Program Statistics, Successful Sustainability Programs ‐ Republic of Everyone, and Focussing on
Solutions (small group session)
Networking
Networking and catching up with industry colleagues
Networking and meeting the staff
Networking, new information from presentations.
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Opportunity to network with fellow assessors
place to meet other assessors; and to learn about the support being provided by the depts
Presentations on Training & CPD and Master Class about sub‐metering.
Program directions and the presentation related to republic for everyone
Putting faces to names
Q&A and info from other participants.
Small group sessions
Talk on HVAC efficiency by Steve Hennessy
The chance to hear from the NABERS and CBD teams about what they are working on ‐ it is reassuring to know
that there is continual investment and passion in improving the rating tools.
the engagement with the assessors.
The interactive sessions where we could provide feedback.
The opportunity to interact with CBD and NABERS staff in conjunction with like minded professionals
The statistics for the program and also going through the reasons behind the change to the rules.
The teams and Assessors coming together and meeting in person as well as feedback provided by both parties.
The transfer of information and clarification of systems and rules
The update and overview of the recent CBD TLA v2 rules, and the Stream sessions that you could split off into
areas that suited your interest or business.
The uptake by building owners in improving Nabers Rating.
Tips, tricks and pitfalls of conducting ratings and the audit process.
TLA v.2 and master classes
TLA version 2
To get some feedback of where NABERS and CBD are heading in the industry. Who are involved and what are
the industry is doing to keep up with the rating.
Under the hood
Under the Hood Targeted Cost Effective Performance
Under the Hood was very good. TLA Version 2 discussion Marketing toolkit
Update of BEEC rules & the IPD green property index
Updates on what the NABERS and CBD team are worknig on discussing technical issues with the NABERS
assessors
Q4 How could we improve this event?
Potentially compressing it into a single day event with more optional streams running simultaneously
including a recording of each of the presentations online would also allow professional development to occur
even if assessors are unable to make the conference
‐ Provide a list of conference attendees ‐ Name tags for NABERS / CBD staff ‐ couldn't see names on their
lanyards. ‐ Coffee meet for first time attendees ‐ The under the hood session was great, however, would
have been good for each department manager to introduce their team (if at conference) and do this session
early in the program so we get an opportunity to talk with team members
A brief summary giving background of each attendee and the stakeholder group they represent may be useful
in identifying the spectrum of representation across each group i.e., building owner, FM, HVAC designer etc.It
si important to get a good mix of attendees.
Air conditioning in stream B on day 2 was bad
Allow more time for the small group discussions.
As before more group sessions.
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Did not attend dinner
Dont focus so much on what each assessor already knows from the rule book and provide additional guidance
on how to be a better/more efficient/more valuable assessor. Provide industry feedback from building
owners, tenants etc on what they might like to see improved with the process.
further discussions on difficult to understand sections of the validation protocol such as validation of
submitters
Greater focus on how to make assessment clearer, easier and more practical for assessors.
Grouping of the segments into areas of relevance such as: programme developments; marketing; conducting
ratings; building tuning/design tips; future directions; etc. so people can come to the segments that are most
relevant to them personally.
Have less focus on NABERS and more focus on the value we can add as NABERS assessors eg efficiency
improvements, covering water and not just energy
I enjoyed the format and topics discussed. I think section "Under the hood” was toooo detailed. In future
provide statement of attendance to make it easier to claim CPD points
I was disappointed the staff sat up the back of the room. Perhaps the thought was not to intrude into the
space of assessors, but I would have valued having staff intermingled among other attendees ‐ I prefer one
class cabins.
I would drop the steams and have the talks one after the other (not side by side)
It would be better to have a annual catch up in each state and continue this bi‐annual conference to gather all
the interested parties together to discuss results and future plans.
just right
Maybe highlight more common issues / discussions/ technical questions in the rules and present the
background and reasoning behind the rules. Open for debate on common misinterpretations. Comment is
for networking ‐ don't need or want to network with other assessors ‐ they are our competitors!! I like
chatting with them though.
Maybe more technical sessions on improving NABERS ratings for buildings?
More information on tenancy NABERS and how to promote it more widely (eg more from CitySwitch)
More interaction among NABERS community. Invite any issues before conference and take them with
solutions during conference. Make available NABERS team contact details on NABERS Members only area.
More masterclasses
More technical matters to be discussed at the forum.
N.A.
No particular comments. It was a hard ask for two full days which may have deterred some potential
attendees.
none, it was very well run.
Overall it was a great event, although the venue ‐ conference room and the master class rooms weren't the
best. Presentations were great, overall the food was good although on day two lunch there were hardly any
vegetarian, chicken or seafood options and as I don't eat both Beef or pork I couldn't eat much.
Perhaps a more diverse range of Stream sessions to choose from.
Possibly consider, tip and tricks on delivering NABERS and TLA's Something around NABERS monitoring and
tracking
Probably include case studies.
Probably some visits to 'best practice
Think about opportunities to gain a higher level of attendance
to hold it annually
While the speakers were knowledgeable, most lacked presentation skills. I would suggest few if any had
practised there presentation out loud in front of anyone prior to the conference, this is essential for people
who do not present regularly.
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Q5 Please indicate your level of satisfaction with each of the following aspects of the
conference:
Q6 Please rate the quality of the conference facilities and event scheduling:
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Q7 Would you be interested in attending
this event if it were held again?
Q8 How frequently should these events
be held?
Comments
I would recommend a refresher course once every year such as the rating master class to discuss any changes
to the rulings and how that impacts the ratings.
Annually if one day, biannually if two days.
Every two years unless significant governmental changes occur or there are significant to the NABERS tool.
Every two years in the current format, annually if its one day
Every time an udpate/new rules are released
Annually if there are any major scheme changes?
29. Appendix 4 27 | P a g e
Appendix 3 – Focusing on Solutions – Assessor feedback
The following raw feedback was recorded by NABERS and CBD team members in the ‘Focusing on
Solutions’ consultation sessions:
1. Aligning BEECS / ratings
It was suggested:
- That each building receives a single NABERS rating identification number with an issue
number at the end i.e. N0669/13.
- That a one step process for BEEC applications be implemented to reduce processing times
- That a process for renewal of NABERS and CBD ratings be put in place to align BEECs for 12
month period
2. TLA Rules
It was suggested:
- That changes be made to change the priority process in V2 with regards to selection of grid
method or aggregate method 1 as it would require additional time in some cases to confirm if
the layout is a grid or representative, when on site if it’s not obvious at first glance the
assessor should be able to use aggregate method 1 in place of grid. Generally these two
methods should provide quite similar results.
- That choosing between aggregate method 1, 2 and 3 is intuitive as a natural progression and
used to happen even with version 1 in most cases.
- That it is good that assessors now have an option to choose from specific lamp types,
although in most cases it is difficult to get the lamp info to the level of detail such as T5 ECO
HE, T5 HIGH ECO HE etc. and can be extremely time consuming. As there isn’t much
difference within each technology type such as T12, T8, T5, etc. there should be default lamp
types with worst case scenario formulae for each lamp type e.g. T8 or T5 to choose from
where detailed info is not readily available. We need to look at cost benefit of going to a
certain level of detail while keeping in mind the overall purpose of obtaining a TLA if providing
prospective tenants with a good indication of NLPD of the tenancy they are about to lease
and what the impact on their outgoings would be rather than an exercise of lighting design
for a brand new building or fit out.
3. Commitment Agreements
It was suggested:
- That the team review the Commitment Agreement guidelines, such that agreements expire
within 3 years of the building becoming fully operational (has OC and 75% occupancy), and
that publicly listed buildings that have not achieved their target after 2 consecutive ratings
get removed from the agreement register.
- That the National Administrator provide Commitment Agreement modelling training and a
CPD training course for building modelers on how to accurately model for NABERS in different
scenarios and for varied building types to achieve positive outcomes when actual rating
completed.
- That the National Administrator should do something to encourage 6 stars in commitment
agreements
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- That no extension should be granted when it is clear that not reaching 75% occupancy by the
proposed date is due to evident market commercial failure of the signatory. In those cases
the CA must be terminated and a new one should be signed if the original signatory wishes to
still pursue a rating and use the NABERS trademark.
- That clear guidance on extensions must be included in the wording of the agreement.
- That the National Administrator should look into potential market niches for CAs for both
Data Centres and Shopping Centres. If it is ascertained that such niches exist a next step
would be to engage a technical group to develop potential modelling protocols for those
types of buildings.
- That some sort of training/accreditation of modellers would ensure quality. It was discussed
that if accreditation/training is to be provided by NABERS (as opposed to asking for an existing
industry standard) this could well be part of a CPD program. It was also recommended to
review and upgrade the current CA modelling requirements ensuring clarity between NABERS
and Green Star requirements; and that IDR guidelines clearly prescribe that the IDR is not
intended to 'fix' the initial model.
- That CAs clearly outline what happens in different scenarios – such as termination of the
agreement and requirements after the initial rating is not achieved.
- There was a general feeling in the group that NABERS NZ could also greatly benefit from the
CA model once the market for NABERS ratings matures.
4. Communications / promotions
It was suggested:
- That the CBD and NABERS teams should have their organizational chart available on their
respective websites, which includes a contact us section with information on specific contact
person details for each tool, and that a link to the chart be provided as a permanent items in
NABERS & CBD newsletters.
- That the National Administrators should hold smaller breakfast events for assessors
throughout the year, on a cost recovery basis ($50 ‐ $100) and that they should include case
studies / Assessors vote on content
- That NABERS should send out a reminder to customers 1 month before their rating is due to
expire, to prompt them to call their Assessor.
- That NABERS should do a case study on water efficiency
- That NABERS conduct a biennial survey to report progress and receive assessor and customer
feedback
- That NABERS/CBD communicates how far away the client is from the next star level
- That the NABERS National Administrator provides market analysis for assessors tools and
tactics for marketing services
- That the resources page of the NABERS website is re‐organized and made more accessible
- That more information on assessor profiles is made available on the NABERS & CBD websites
- That NABERS try to push a policy within government and within corporate groups that travel
tenders provide preferential treatment to hotels that have a NABERS 4‐5 star rating.
- That NABERS try to push for NABERS ratings to be included in hotel star ratings.
- That NABERS provide more stats in the NABERS Newsletter rather than just in the Website.
- That NABERS provide more case studies and more marketing assistance.
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- That NABERS should drive more competition between customers. I.e ‘Australia’s
healthiest/most energy efficient work place’ – city switch could promote this.
5. Continuous professional development
Broadly, the idea of continuous professional development opportunities were welcomed as a way of
ensuring better quality ratings across the board and providing a valuable service to Assessors.
However, there were some reservations around the investment that would be required from
Assessors (in both time and money), and Assessors across the board emphasised the need for flexible,
accessible, low cost solutions that were complimentary to other CPD programs.
It was suggested:
- That NABERS & CBD offer site tours of complex buildings as CPD training.
- That NABERS consider the ‘RICS’ CPD program as a good model for the NABERS CPD program.
- That NABERS offers the completion of ‘fake’ (sample) ratings as a way to earn CPD points
- That the CPD program differentiate between active and non‐active Assessors
- That NABERS Assessor conferences should attract CPD points
- That NABERS offer E‐learning based modules (including webinars)
- That NABERS offer (modules on) rulings
- That NABERS use tests or quizzes
- That NABERS award points for actively doing ratings to recognise experience (but that the
number of points earned this way be capped)
- That the CPD program should be free or low cost (for assessors) and paid for via an increase
in the annual accreditation fee.
- That NABERS seek reciprocal rights with other CPD programs (GreenStar, RICS, NatHERS)
- That the CPD program be delivered in collaboration with AIRAH or other reputed industry
bodies to ease workload of OEH, each session should have a small group of 5‐10 trainees,
working with building owners. Targeted marketing and awareness would be required to
instigate take‐up of the program and garner support from industry.
6. Cogeneration ruling
It was suggested:
- That the Cogen ruling should be renamed as ‘fuel switching’ or something generic and should
include any alternative fuel to future proof the rules, rather than spend years on new rulings
for a specific technology which may create a bias towards it. The general principles of the rule
will mostly stay the same irrespective of type of fuel used CNG, LPG, Biofuel, Methane etc.
Even solar in some cases when it may not be directly offset.
Generation side:
Fuel in ‐> Electricity + Hot water + Chilled water + Waste heat (generally this is true).
Proportioning side:
Raw Fuel in total ‐> Raw Fuel for entity 1 + Raw Fuel for entity 2 + Raw Fuel for entity 3.
If we look at this holistic approach in most part the rules and formulae will stay the same the only
change will be emission factors.
Examples:
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- Large solar array on top of an industrial plant which uses minimum amount as there isn’t
much load and supplied an office building and a shopping centre in the vicinity.
- Waste to energy facilities supplying direct or indirect power + heat +chilled water to assets in
its vicinity.
7. Data & infographics
It was suggested that NABERS provide information on:
- The benchmarks for NABERS performance i.e. average building NLA, EUI, WUI and energy use
mix, similar buildings by state / location
- Market penetration figures by post code, CBD v non‐CBD and average ratings
- Uptake of tools and milestone by location and subcategory
- Historical NABERS performance made available
- Easy to find ratings that clearly show GP component, rating with and without GP etc.
- It was also suggested that NABERS provide an update to include the state/city & industry
averages in the energy report.
8. Fee increase
There was general support for the fee increase and for the move towards financial sustainability to
protect the program from changes in policy direction.
9. Indoor Environment tool
It was suggested:
- That NABERS communications around IE ratings move from ‘loss of productivity’ to
‘productivity’ ‐ as the relationship of employees’ productivity with indoor environment is not
yet fully understood. On the other hand, loss of productivity is inevitable if standard conform
and health guidelines are not followed.
‐ That NABERS focus on promoting NABERS IE tenancy ratings
10. Meter validation
It was suggested:
- That the Rules around non‐utility gas meter validation be updated to provide a thorough
explanation on the correct validation of gas meters and how to find an appropriately qualified
person (local gas supplier).
11. Tool enhancement framework & rulings
It was suggested:
‐ That the turnaround time for rulings be decreased and better communicated once completed
‐ That a tool for private schools & universities be developed.
12. Training/supervision
It was suggested:
- That the Assessor training includes a practical site visit
- That NABERS provide training on modelling for Commitment Agreements
- That NABERS offer mentoring by industry experts in building audits
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- That NABERS add a section to the website where trainee Assessors can add their name to a
database of Assessors willing to complete 2 supervised rating for free or at cost.
13. Website & NABERS Rate
It was suggested that NABERS:
‐ Develop Windows 8 compatibility for NABERS Rate
‐ Develop an export to excel function in NABERS Rate
‐ Develop a copy and paste functionality in NABERS Rate
‐ Improve the speed of the website
‐ Enhance NABERS Rate to include default hours for vacant spaces
‐ Fix a bug regarding the thousands separator and decimal formatting
‐ Send reminders to customers when ratings are inactive, waiting or in need of authorisation
