Performance
Green Star Performance is Australia’s leading sustainability rating tool to assess the operational performance of existing buildings.
Why Green Star Performance?
Buildings are the single largest contributor to the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, using 36% of global energy and generating around 37% of all carbon emissions.
While the last few years has seen a ‘green gold rush’ of new buildings designed and constructed to the highest environmental standards, new construction accounts for only 2% of our building stock every year. Many were constructed decades ago with little thought given to their social and environmental impacts.
Measurement is the first step towards better environmental management of our buildings. And the Green Star Performance rating tool provides the benchmarks and pathways to optimise the ongoing operational performance of buildings across many asset classes.
Green Star – Performance provides a framework for projects to track and progressively improve their operational performance which is integral in the transition towards net zero. Initial certification acts as a benchmarking exercise and subsequent certifications facilitates the creation of clear goals and a process to improve over time.
Jamie Wallis, Senior Manager Market Engagement, Green Building Council Australia
Current rating tool: Green Star Performance v1.2, released 29/11/2017
Upcoming rating tool: Green Star Performance v2, Submission guidelines released September 2022. Registration or EOI open February 2023. Online system launch and formal registrations open July 2023.
Key features of Green Star Performance
Higher returns
Green Star-rated buildings deliver consistently higher returns on investment than their non-green counterparts.
Green Star-rated office buildings deliver a 4.3% higher capital value pm, a 13% increase in net income, and a 25% increase in weighted average lease expirylonger Weighted Average Lease Expiry
Reduced operating costs
With energy costs rising steadily, energy-efficient buildings make good business sense. Without significant capital costs, green buildings can save on energy operating costs for years to come.
4 Star Green Star Performance rated buildings consume less energy and water than the average Australian building, which translates into financial savings.
Attractive to tenants and buyers
- 80% of Australians believe Climate Action is necessary and they are actively looking to brands to play their role.
- 34% of green building activity is driven by client demand.
- 78% consider a brands social or environmental actions when making a purchasing decision.
Better for your tenants and patrons
Attracting and retaining talented employees is vital to any business’ success – and a Green Star rated building is a valuable employee benefit.
- 8.5% increase inpatient recovery rates.
- Up to 76% improvement in employee wellbeing and perceived productivity.
Ensures holistic outcomes and streamline ESG reporting
Green Star Performance helps building owners measure how well they are managing existing assets and where they can improve into the future. This rating tool is comprehensive and covers nine categories:
Management
Aims to encourage and reward the adoption of practices and processes that support best practice sustainability outcomes throughout a building's ongoing operation and aims to improve a project's sustainability performance by influencing areas where decision-making is critical.
Indoor environment quality (IEQ)
Aims to improve occupants' experience of the space, by encouraging and rewarding initiatives and measured outcomes relating to attributes that enhance the comfort and well-being of occupants.
Energy
Aims to reward building owners for implementing strategies and taking actions to measure and reduce a building's operational energy use, below that of a comparable standard-practice building.
Transport
Aims to reward projects that facilitate a reduction of building occupants' dependency on single occupant motor vehicles as a means of reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions by influencing commuting habits based on location, and on transport-related services offered.
Water
Aims to reward building owners for implementing strategies and initiatives that reduce the consumption of potable water in building operations associated with cooling, irrigation and occupant amenities, below that of a comparable standard-practice building.
Materials
Aims to address the consumption of materials that go into, or come out of, a building during the operational phase of its life cycle, through sustainable procurement and purchasing and the management of waste.
Land use and ecology
Aims to reward buildings that minimise harm to the local ecology of the site, by discouraging environmental degradation, and by encouraging the restoration of natural environments whenever possible.
Emissions
Aims to address the environmental impacts of 'point source' pollution, generated by buildings, on the atmosphere and local waterways.
Innovation
Aims to recognise the implementation of innovative practices, processes and strategies that promote sustainability in the built environment.
Provide independent assurance to stakeholders
Green Star is accredited to ISO9001, ensuring ratings are auditable and replicable. Certified projects can proudly display the Green Star Certification trademark, providing independent verification of sustainability claims.
Attract sustainable finance
Green star certification is aligned with standards such as the Climate Bonds Initiative and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation – unlocking avenues of finance only available to certified assets.
Pathway to Climate Active Carbon Neutral
We now offer a certification pathway against the standard through integration in Green Star – Performance v1.2. Buildings in operation can be assessed for carbon neutrality at the same time as seeking a Green Star – Performance rating, and benefit from synergies of parallel assessment to achieve certified ratings.
How we support your organisation achieve certification
- dedicated Technical Coordinator support
- tools and guidance material
- workshops with GBCA
- access to case studies
- webinars and Insights sessions
- meeting with Assessors as required
Steps to rating
1. Contact us
Email meteam@gbca.org.au to request a briefing or visit gbca.org.au/whats-on to attend a webinar or course on Green Star Performance.
2. Register your project
The earlier you do this the easier the process will be. Once your project is registered you can share your Green Star ambitions with your networks.
3. Submit your documentation
Get familiar with our submission guidelines and the documents needed to show your project meets our benchmarks, then submit them to us.
4. Get your project assessed
Our independent panel of sustainability experts will assess your submission, give feedback and/or confirm certification.
5. Promote your achievement
Once you're certified you're ready to share your achievement with the world!
6. Recertify every 3 years and continually improve
Certification with Green Star Performance lasts three years, with an annual requirement to submit energy and water data.
Resources
The Submission guidelines explains each credit's aims, criteria and compliance requirements, and offers additional guidance, background information and resources.
You can download the submission guidelines from the shop or the Green Star resources portal. GBCA members can access the Submission guidelines for free.
Green Star foundations courses (required prior to attending the advanced course)
Advanced courses for Green Star Performance
Introducing Green Star Performance v2
Green Star tools are built by industry, for industry and designed, tried and tested by leading sustainability and property experts. We’re working with six GBCA member organisations to test Green Star Performance’s new credits on real projects to inform the development of the next version of the tool, due to be released in mid-2023, with a transition period until 2025.
The new updates reflect the increasing expectations from tenants and investors to transition away from fossil fuels toward net zero, and to help reach targets in line with climate science.
Moving to Green Star Performance v2
Registrations for Green Star Performance v2 open in mid-2023. Until then, we encourage you to use this time to plan your transition or see how you can get on board. Here are a few ways you can get started.
Watch the technical release
The Submission guidelines were released on a webinar on Wednesday, 14 September 2022.