As Australia’s building sector continues its journey toward sustainability, NABERS remains committed to ensuring our tools and ratings reflect the latest advancements in energy efficiency and emissions reduction. A key part of this commitment is the regular update of the NABERS Energy benchmarks, which incorporate the most recent National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) emissions factors every five years.
Following our last update in July 2021, we are gearing up for the next benchmark refresh in July 2025, when we will integrate the 2024 NGA factors. This will mark the second update in our five-year cycle, with a third planned for 2030. But as our electricity grid becomes increasingly decarbonised, the future of NABERS Energy ratings is set to evolve in exciting—and necessary—ways.
July 2025: Reflecting a Greener Grid
The upcoming update in July 2025 will ensure NABERS Energy ratings for all building types continue to accurately reflect emissions associated with different energy sources, based on the 2024 NGA factors.
Since our last update in 2021, the grid has continued to green, with renewable energy playing an ever-larger role in reducing electricity-related emissions. This shift has been captured in our ratings, allowing building owners, managers, and assessors to track real progress in sustainability.
Phasing Out NABERS Energy with GreenPower
As part of the July 2025 changes, we will also complete the retirement of the NABERS Energy with GreenPower result, marking the last step in a phased withdrawal that began with the introduction of the Renewable Energy Indicator.
Since 6 June 2023, this rating result has been available only in the NABERS Energy rating report, with NABERS certificates no longer reflecting this value. For the past two years, it has served as a transitional tool within the report. However, from July 2025, the NABERS Energy with GreenPower result will be fully discontinued and no longer calculated.
This shift reflects our move toward a more comprehensive and future-focused approach to recognising renewable energy contributions through our Renewable Energy Indicator (REI).
Looking Ahead to 2030
While emissions factors have been a cornerstone of NABERS Energy ratings, the rapid decarbonisation of Australia’s electricity grid is prompting a rethink. By 2030, many states and territories will have grids with emissions so low that electricity emission factors will approach zero. In this scenario, the traditional emissions-based NABERS Energy rating risks losing its meaning and impact as a driver of energy efficiency.
To address this, we are consulting on proposed solutions for the planned 2030 update. This includes a potentially transition from emissions factors to a pure energy-based metric in regions with highly decarbonised grids. This change reflects the reality that, in a near-zero emissions grid, the focus must shift to optimising energy use itself, rather than emissions alone. However, recognising that decarbonisation will not occur uniformly across Australia, we are consulting on two potential options for 2030:
- Partial Transition (Scenario 1): In states and territories with highly decarbonised grids—such as ACT, NSW, SA, TAS, and WA—electricity emissions will be too low to provide meaningful ratings. Here, we will treat electricity and gas equally (in kWh) without applying emissions or weighted conversions. Meanwhile, states like NT, QLD, and VIC, where emissions factors remain relevant, will continue using forecast 2030 emissions factors.
- Full Transition (Scenario 2): Emissions factors are not used for all state and territories. Across all states and territories in Australia, electricity and gas are treated equally without any emissions or weighted conversion.
To find out more reach out to us at nabers@environment.nsw.gov.au.
New Prediction Tools: Planning for the Future
To support our stakeholders through these changes, we have released a new set of prediction tools designed to model the impact of the 2025 update and the proposed 2030 scenarios. These tools allow you to explore how ratings have evolved—and will continue to evolve—over time, offering five key results:
- Rating from 1 July 2025: An estimated rating for periods starting after 30 June 2024, based on the 2024 NGA factors.
- Rating Results in 2030: With the two possible results based on our consultation scenarios:
- Scenario 1: Forecast 2030 emissions factors for NT, QLD, and VIC, with energy-based metrics (electricity and gas treated equally in kWh) for ACT, NSW, SA, TAS, and WA.
- Scenario 2: A nationwide shift to energy-based metrics, with electricity and gas treated equally across all states and territories.
- Rating Results from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2025: Estimated ratings for periods starting between 1 July 2020 and 1 July 2025.
- Rating Results Prior to 1 July 2021: Estimated ratings for periods starting before 1 July 2020.
These tools are essential for understanding how the upcoming changes might affect your specific building or portfolio. We strongly encourage all stakeholders to get familiar with them, test different scenarios, and see firsthand how ratings could shift as we move toward 2030.
Your Feedback Matters
The future of NABERS Energy is a shared journey, and we are committed to supporting you every step of the way. As we refine our approach for 2030, we are actively engaging with our community to ensure these changes work for everyone. How can we best help you prepare? What tools, training, or guidance would make this transition smoother? We want to hear from you, get in touch through nabers@environment.nsw.gov.au.