New Bill affects Building Owners and Cleantech Companies

The Australian parliament has passed a bill requiring 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 the certificate will 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 passage of this bill will create new business opportunities and provides further impetus to our initiative to capture the capabilities of SA's Cleantech companies with products & services aimed at the building & construction industry via the Industry Capability Network's web portal.

Following are some anticipated outcomes from this new disclosure requirement:

• It will create a more informed market that rewards better performing buildings and stimulates greater investment in energy efficiency as buyers and tenants demand buildings that are more efficient.

• Service providers such as those doing energy audits and architects like Hames Sharley, who specialise in refurbishing existing building to a higher NABERS rating will be in demand as building owners respond.

• The resulting greener offices are not only more comfortable to work in, they can also deliver happier workers, better productivity, bring down sick leave, support green building industry jobs and have the potential to deliver savings of 20-40 percent on energy bills.

Further Information from Department of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency.