Introducing The Mandatory Disclosure of Commercial Office Energy Efficiency Scheme

Australian, state and territory government energy ministers recently approved the parameters of the new disclosure scheme for office building energy efficiency, with Commonwealth legislation now being developed. Starting in the second half of 2010, building owners will need to provide up-to-date energy efficiency information when they sell or lease office space covering more than 2,000 square metres.

What is the national energy efficiency scheme?

The national energy efficiency scheme is part of an ambitious plan to make Australia’s homes and businesses more energy efficient, by improving base standards and star ratings for appliances, equipment and buildings, and by phasing out inefficient technologies.

Why is the new scheme being enforced?

Improving energy efficiency is a rapid and effective method of convalescing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. The scheme will provide a strong incentive for building owners to improve their properties by investing in cost-effective upgrades.

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett stated that “Greener offices are not only more comfortable to work in, they can also boost productivity, bring down sick leave, support green building industry jobs and have the potential to deliver savings of 20-40 percent on energy bills.”

Disclosure of commercial office building energy efficiency will also:

• Encourage reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions;
• Aid businesses in saving money on their energy bills and building maintenance costs;
• Help stimulate demand for and investment in more energy efficient buildings; and
• Have the potential to improve staff morale, productivity and stimulate green jobs.

Who is affected by the new scheme?

Commercial office building owners will be required to provide up to date energy efficiency information when they sell or lease office space with a net lettable area (NLA) covering more than 2,000 square metres.

This means that the building owners, potential purchasers and tenants will have access to consistent and meaningful information about a building’s energy efficiency and will be able to make informed decisions when they purchase or lease a building.

In a later phase, the Government will consider expanding this measure to other building types including hotels, shops, schools and hospitals.

What do building owners need to do?

The new scheme will require building owners to:

• Disclose a valid Building Energy Efficiency Certificate to prospective buyers and lessees at the point of sale and lease of office space over 2,000 square metres; and
• Include a National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) Energy base building star rating, an assessment of the lighting energy efficiency of tenancies and some suggestions on how to improve the building’s energy efficiency.

The Building Energy Efficiency Certificate will remain valid for 12 months and, once legislation is in place, owners who don’t comply will risk a fine or prosecution.

Efficiency Rating Tool – NABERS

It is proposed that the NABERS Energy accredited rating tool will initially be the sole rating tool. The NABERS Energy rating tool benchmarks actual operating energy use of the commercial office building by measuring the energy use per square metre NLA based on twelve contiguous months of metered fuel data (electricity, gas, diesel).

The rating tool awards from one star (high greenhouse impact) to five stars (low greenhouse impact) depending on the energy efficiency and greenhouse performance of the rated space. NABERS has a trained and accredited group of assessors who independently assess the rating of a building.

In preparation for the scheme’s implementation, a NABERS Energy base building assessment is a great way for building owners to get a snapshot of their buildings performance. Property owners who haven’t already rated their building under NABERS Energy should familiarise themselves with the system.

Exemptions from the Scheme

Exemptions will be considered for buildings with less than 12 months worth of contiguous data (i.e. new building), or where inadequate metering or other factors preventing an accredited assessor from being able to achieve the required quality standards of a NABERS Energy assessment. Situations where it is not feasible to prepare a valid energy efficiency assessment of a particular building or tenancy will be exempted from the scheme.

Summary

The Australian Government has agreed to the new national scheme to improve the energy efficiency of commercial office buildings.

Commercial office building owners will be required to provide up to date energy efficiency information when they sell or lease office space covering more than 2,000 square metres.

More information on the new energy efficiency scheme is available at the following web links:

Mandatory Disclosure of Commercial Office Building Energy Efficiency – Regulation Document

Mandatory Disclosure of Commercial Office Building Energy Efficiency – Regulation Impact Statement

Additional information regarding NABERS Energy base building star ratings can be found at the NABERS website.

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Notes on CPD

The new CPD System, which came into force on 1 January 2008, requires all licensed builders and swimming pool builders to accumulate a minimum of 12 CPD every year. If you accumulate more than 12 CPD in a year, you can carry over the extra CPD into the following year, up to a maximum of 11 CPD. Most CPD courses allow you to claim one CPD point per hour, and therefore you generally need to complete 12 hours to claim 12 CPD. Some CPD Courses that are offered through an RTO and have an assessment allow builders to claim 2 CPD an hour.

From the Commissioners Guidelines for Continuing Professional Development 28th January 2009

Learning Category 2: 2 points per hour

Structured learning with an assessed learning outcome linked to either a relevant Australian University qualification or a relevant national Training Package outcome delivered by a registered training organisation.

What is RPL?

Skills Recognition, also referred to as RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) or RCC (Recognition of Current Competencies), provides you with the option to have your skills and knowledge to be recognised against the Competency Standards of any Qualification without further training. It doesn’t matter how you acquired your skills and knowledge.

Simply put your skills are assessed before training, and remember assessment does not always require an exam or test.

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* Sufficient – The provision of evidence must be of sufficient quantity and quality to satisfy an
* assessor that you are able to consistently achieve the required Competency Standard(s)
* Valid – The evidence collected must be relevant to the Competency Standard(s) concerned
* Current – The evidence presented must apply to present day workplace practices.

What can I use?

Under the Australian Quality Training Framework, competency may be attained in a number of ways. This includes:

* Through any combination of formal or informal training that you have completed,
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Is it a Nationally Recognised Qualification?

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What about privacy?

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Whats next?

1. Decide if its what you want.
2. Download and read Introductory Letter and RPL Evidence Guide. The guide shows you how we will map your evidence to the Competency Standards contained within any Qualification. The example shown is for the qualification Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
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4. If your still comfortable with the process at this stage continue by submitting your RPL enrolment application.
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6. Nationally Recognised Qualification or Statement of Attainment(s) issued.

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