Is your building disclosure-affected?

Emissions reporting is a new mandatory requirement for commercial property owners as legislated by the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010.

The Act included a 12-month transition period where where a valid National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) Energy base or whole building rating could be disclosed.

The transition period is almost finished and from1 November, 2011,if you have a disclosure-affected building, it will need a Building Energy Efficiency Certificate (BEEC) before it can be sold or leased. In addition, when advertising a building, any advertising materials will need to include a NABERS Energy star rating.

Benefits of improving/disclosing the efficiency of a building include:

• Increased return on investment as a result of cost-effective energy efficient upgrades;
  
  
• The availability of consistent and clear information about its performance, making it more attractive for companies to buy/rent your building/office space;
  
  
• A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and demonstration that you are meeting your environmental obligations as good corporate citizens.

Is your building disclosure-affected?

You could be disclosure-affected if you own or manage a building or an area of a building that is:

• greater than 2,000m2;
• for administrative, clerical, professional or other information-based activities and includes any support facilities for those activities; and
• for sale, lease or sublease?

Some office buildings or areas of buildings are not disclosure-affected if they are:

• mixed use buildings with less than 75% office space by net lettable area;
  new buildings, where there is a certificate of occupancy less than 2 years old;
• strata-titled buildings;
• transferred through the sale of shares or units of interest;
• leased in a short-term lease, ie for a period of less than 12 months;
• leased by exercising an option to renew or extend an existing lease.

How do you get a Building Energy Efficiency Certificate?

Affected building owners will need to engage a CBD Accredited Assessor to undertake the necessary assessments and apply for a BEEC.

HFM Asset Management has accredited assessors Australian wide ready to help you with each assessment. BEECs are valid for 12 months and must be publicly accessible on the online Building Energy Efficiency Register. They include:

• a NABERS Energy star rating for the building

• an assessment of tenancy lighting in the area of the building that is being sold or leased and
• general energy efficiency guidance

Contact HFM on (08) 9201 0855 to find out how we can help you to meet your reporting obligations.