Queensland Health

Green Office
Resource
Guide
For ClimateSmart Buildings
March 2009

helping you to make better choices

green there done that!

Contents
Green office resource guide
1.0

Vision and objective

2.0

Introduction

3.0

Why go green?

4.0

Energy efficiency policies

4.1

Energy efficiency goal

4.2

Lighting

4.3

Information technology (computers, printers, LCDs)

4.4

Air-conditioning

4.5

Other (i.e. office, kitchen areas)

5.0

Procurement policies

5.1

Procurement policy goal

5.2

Purchase of environmentally-sustainable equipment (green purchasing)

5.3

Paper products

6.0

Carbon reduction policies

7.0

Water conservation policies

7.1

Water conservation goal

7.2

Water conservation and the office environment

8.0

Waste management policies

8.1

Waste management goal

8.2

Reduce, reuse, and recycle: An environmental ethos

9.0

Behavioural management changes

10.0 Green office self-assessment reporting

10.1 National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)

1.0 Vision and objectives

As the social and political agenda moves
towards crucial issues such as climate
change and environmental sustainability,
the Queensland Government has put in place
policies and expectations that will lead all
departments and agencies towards the goal of
reducing their environmental impact.
The Carbon Management Unit (CMU) of
Queensland Health was established in
2004 and is responsible for increasing
environmental awareness in Queensland
Health through development and
implementation of a Statewide Eco Efficiency
program to introduce energy and water
conservation measures into built infrastructure
and business practices.
In this short period, Queensland Health has
improved environmental performance beyond
Queensland Governments expectations,
and in doing so, has achieved national
recognition. Queensland Health is proud of its
achievements towards sustainable operations
and is fully committed to raising the bar
and striving for continual improvement in
environmental management practices.
This Green Office Resources Guide is developed
to provide staff of Queensland Health offices
with the ability to embrace environmental
values, leading to a more environmentally
sustainable office environment.

This manual details simple guidelines to

increase the energy efficiency of Queensland
Health offices; develop sustainable
procurement practices; develop water
conservation practices; develop waste
management procedures; facilitate shifts
in behavioural management; and develop a
green office self-assessment monitoring and
reporting guide.
Ultimately, this manual has been developed
to help you to make a difference in your office
environment by:
outlining what you should know about your
current environmental management system
providing hints and tips for what you and
your department can do to increase office
environmental sustainability
providing useful statistics and where to go
for further information.

2.0 Introduction
Sitting in an office environment, it is hard to
visualise how our activities are impacting on
the environment. Issues, such as air pollution,
global climate change, deforestation, landfills,
water availability, biodiversity, chemical
pollution, eutrophication and soil erosion,
seem very distant and unrelated to the
activities we undertake at work.
It is now recognised that climate change and
carbon management is a critical issue that
must be addressed through innovation and
intricate collaboration.

Queensland Health has taken the lead in

developing strategic management plans
which are in line with ClimateSmart 2050. In
2009 the Carbon Management Unit released
the Strategic Energy Management Plan for
ClimateSmart Buildings in order to assist
staff of Queensland Health in integrating
sustainable practices into their day-to-day
ethos and support the existing sustainability
progress of Queensland Government.

However, we all make decisions everyday that

contribute to these environmental problems
and we all have a responsibility to ensure
that our everyday decisions and operations
contribute as little as possible to these broader
environmental issues.

Governance
It is evident that environmental practices are
imperative to the sustainability of the office
environment. In April 2007, the Queensland
Government announced its role in meeting a
national greenhouse gas emissions reduction
target of 60 per cent of 2000 levels by 2050
through the Climate Smart 2050 initiative
Queensland climate change strategy 2007: a
low carbon future.

The Queensland Health Strategic Energy

Management Plan booklets are available from
the Carbon Management Unit, Health Services
Purchasing and Logistics Branch.

The policies and practices employed in

this guide will aid Queensland Health
offices in meeting this national greenhouse
gas reduction target through sustainable
procedures.
This Green Office Resource Guide provides
information aimed at increasing the
environmental credentials of Queensland
Health offices throughout the state.

Principles
The principles of this guide are to be suitably
adapted to the operation of respective offices
to facilitate reductions in energy use and cost,
water use and cost, waste production, and
greenhouse gas emissions.
Ultimately the policies and practices
employed in this guide are encouraged to
become a part of an individuals natural work
routine. This Green Office Resource Guide is
a means of increasing staff awareness of the
environmental impacts associated with daily
work practices and encourage and facilitate
environmentally friendly work alternatives.
The participation in a sustainable office
environment will no doubt have positive effects
of the individual. It is our goal to encourage
a sense of ownership within the individual
of these environmental policies, where an
individual can easily apply similar policies to
their home as well as the workplace.

green there done that!

Practices
This Green Office Resource Guide provides
a great way for staff to learn more about
environmental issues and what can be done at
work to reduce their ecological impact.
This guide also provides an opportunity for
staff to engage in behavioural management
problem solving and work as part of a team to
achieve environmental change.
A green office self-reporting assessment
system has been developed in this guide to
provide management with sufficient ways
to calculate the effectiveness of green office
recommendations, and provide incentives
to staff so that the process of saving the
environment is not conveyed as a chore.

3.0 Why go green?

There are some very good reasons for making
your office an energy-efficient, environmental
sustainable work environment.
Most people are beginning to realise that
the goods and services on which we rely
come with an ecological impact and
that we cannot continue purely extractive
practices indefinitely; we will simply run out
of supplies! The environmental benefits
of using energy-efficient equipment are
tremendous. By reducing the level of electricity
used in the office environment, you are directly
reducing air and water pollution from power
stations and saving a tonne of greenhouse gas
for each 1000 kilowatt-hour of electricity you
save. (NAEEEC, 2001)
Additionally, by being eco-conscious
numerous benefits can be generated for your
organisation.
It is our social responsibility
It provides staff with a sense of
environmental pride and importance
Reduce paper consumption
Did you know? Using less paper not only
saves forests, it saves water and electricity,
reduces landfill, reduces greenhouse
pollution and saves you money.

green there done that!

Reduce energy consumption

Did you know? The International Energy
Agency (www.iea.org) has compiled statistics
that showed photocopiers alone consume
about 10per cent of office equipment
electricity demand and more than 90 per
cent of the energy is consumed when
photocopiers are not in use
Reduce water consumption
Did you know? A moderate sized building of
10,000m2 typically consumes over 20,000
litres per day or more than 7 million litres per
year enough to supply 40 average homes.
It makes good business-sense
Did you know? By ensuring that all copiers
print duplex as default, you can expect to
reduce your offices paper consumption
levels by nearly half!
It improves corporate image
Did you know? More than 70 per cent of
the worlds largest 500 companies are now
addressing global climate change in their
corporate reporting.
Did you know? Research has shown that
businesses who demonstrate to staff their
personal environmental savings are 60 per
cent more productive.

4.0 Energy efficiency policies

4.1 Energy efficiency goal

Replace any existing 50W halogen downlights with 20W. This gives a similar lighting
effect using only 40 per cent of the energy.

To develop Queensland Health offices which

are environmentally sustainable, and continue
to increase respective energy efficiency levels
within the office environment. These positive
energy efficiency levels are heavily reliant on
maintaining procurement policies and office
behavioural practices which are in conjunction
with Energy Performance Standards
Regulations.
In March 2008 the Australian Government
released the Carbon Pollution Reduction
Scheme, known as CPRS in order to develop
a structured framework to commit to cutting
greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent
from 2000 levels by 2050. The phase-out of
inefficient incandescent lighting is one of the
programs to help achieve this goal.

4.2 Lighting
Use natural light wherever possible By
using natural light to illuminate the office
environment you can save a significant
amount of energy and associated
greenhouse gas emissions.
Replace traditional incandescent bulbs with
fluorescent bulbs to reduce running costs by
up to 75 per cent and energy consumption by
20-30 per cent. Fluorescent lights produce
much less heat than incandescent lights, and
also last up to 10 times longer, so you would
also save on cooling costs in summer.

green there done that!

Switch all lighting off after hours and in areas

such as store rooms that are not going to be
used for at least 10 minutes. Using separate
light switches for different areas in your
office allows this to occur easily.
To avoid misuse of lights, light switches
should be clearly labelled to indicate the
areas they cover and their specific purpose.
Install movement sensors or timer switches
in areas such as store rooms, meeting rooms
and photocopy rooms to reduce light usage.
Easy to read and eye-catching energy saving
reminder signs/stickers should be placed
near all major light switches. Signage may
include Turn off and reduce your carbon
impact, or Every time you turn off this light
switch you help to save the CO2 equivalent of
10km driven by a car.
Clean dirty lamps and fittings on a regular
basis. This will enable you to maximise your
lighting efficiency by up to 30 per cent! Clean
globes and fittings cast more light than dirty
ones, enabling you to get the same amount
of light from fewer lamps.

4.3 Information technology

(computers, printers, LCDs)

Switch all equipment off when not in use

(eg. at night) and program equipment to
hibernate when not in use during office
hours. If staff are not turning their equipment
off, consider installing energy management
option (EMO) software to switch their
computers off automatically.

Turn your computer screen off when you go to

lunch to save further power.

Making one staff member in your office

responsible for turning off all shared
equipment at the end of each day can prove
very useful.

Turn the photocopier off at the power point

at the end of the working day and during
periods of inactivity.

Photocopiers and printers are left to idle

about 95 per cent of the time. When left
on, small machines use about 100-120W/h
when idle, while larger machines use even
more energy. Minimise the number of
photocopiers and printers in the office to
increase their productive time.
Make sure your computer settings are
capable of the following energy-saving
functions after the respective period of nonactivity:
15 minutes monitor hibernation mode
(switches off)
30 minutes system standby (hard drive
switches off)
2 hours system hibernation (entire
system switches off)

green there done that!

Deactivate your screensaver! Monitors

should be set to hibernation, screensavers
more frequently waste energy rather than
save it.

Turning your computer off at night does

not damage the computer. Computers are
designed to handle about 40,000 on/off
cycles before causing a fault. This means you
could turn off your computer every night for
about 109 years.
The majority of electricity used by
photocopiers is in the initial warm up
stage. Each time you start photocopying,
the machine uses extra energy to get ready
to operate. You can save energy by batch
copying, which involves saving up your
copying tasks and doing them in one batch.

 If your office rarely receives faxes, switch

off fax machines after hours to save energy.
In the case of larger offices with many fax
machines, energy can be saved by turning
off some machines after hours and diverting
calls to one or a few machines.
Purchase a timer switch for office equipment.
Timer switches automatically turn on
equipment at a set time (morning), and
automatically switch off at a set time
(evening). These timer switches are attached
to power points and can be used to reduce
the power consumption of photocopiers,
printers, and vending machines. Examples
of energy reductions include: refrigerated
vending machines (save 38kg CO2/wk),
photocopiers (20kg CO2/wk), printers (6kg
CO2/wk) and plug in boiling water units
(6kg CO2/wk for 2.5 L, 28 kg CO2/wk for 25
L units). A sign can be placed adjacent to the
timer switch to direct staff to the correct way
to turn the equipment on after-hours.

Did you know?

A computer left on overnight all year generates
the same amount of greenhouse gas as a car
driving from Sydney to Perth thats 4352km!

green there done that!

4.4 Air-conditioning
Did you know?
Climate control accounts for about 40 per cent
of an offices total energy use. The opportunity
for big savings in energy efficiency can be
found in your heating, cooling, and ventilation
(HVAC) systems.
Use natural ventilation and fans where
possible.
Set air-conditioner systems to a minimum of
24C.
If air-conditioning is used, close all windows
and doors to reduce the escape of cool air.
If the machine has adjustable louvres, adjust
them towards the ceiling when cooling, and
towards the floor when heating (as cool air
falls, hot air rises).
Switch off heating and cooling after hours.

4.5 Other
There are numerous other areas within an
office environment where energy use can be
reduced by a significant amount. Appliances
in other personal and shared workspaces,
such as the kitchen, should be switched off
when not in use. These policies are designed
to become a part of the strategic direction
of office environmental management. It is
recommended that the initiative of a green
team or green staff member is introduced
in the office environment, where a number
of staff members are responsible for the
environmental management of the office.

5.0 Procurement policies

5.1 Procurement policy goal

All offices should ensure that all equipment

conforms at least to ENERGY STAR*
requirements.

To develop a strategic policy of green

procurement within Queensland Health offices.
The purchase of environmentally-sustainable
office equipment in a viable way in which
offices can reduce electricity demand, save
money, and help your office reduce its direct
and indirect impact on the environment
through the purchase of energy-efficient
products.
Green procurement is the purchase of products
and services that have a minimal or reduced
environmental and human health impact.
In addition to improved environmental
performance, many environmentally preferred
products work as well or better than traditional
products.
All forms of office equipment should be
purchased with the intent of reducing the
energy consumption of the office environment.

5.2 Purchase of environmentallysustainable equipment

(green purchasing)
Inspect potential office equipment for energy
saving/environmentally sustainable tags, or
eco-labelling.
Energy-efficient products on the market
today can reduce energy costs by 25 to 50 per
cent, or even more, without compromising
quality or performance.
Think of longevity, reusability, refillable and
recyclable when buying office equipment
such as printers, scanners and photocopiers.

green there done that!

All equipment rated under the APPLIANCE

STAR** labelling scheme should be rated
three stars or better (post-2001 scale).
Is it made of recycled material? Buying
recycled helps reduce your own
environmental impacts as well as encourages
suppliers to supply recycled products.
Do you really need it? The best way of
conserving our natural resources is not to
use/buy them in the first place.
Purchase water-using appliances/ equipment
that have a five or six star rating under the
Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards
Scheme (WELS).
All office equipment should be eligible for
recycling at end of its life.
For further information on sustainable
procurement visit the Queensland
Governments Environmental Labelling and
Product Database (http://www.qgm.qld.gov.
au/10_sus_procure/nine.htm)
* ENERGY STAR is an international standard for
energy-efficient electronic equipment.
** APPLIANCE STAR is an alternative ratings
system sometimes used by the Australian
Greenhouse Office.

5.3 Paper products

Encourage suppliers to be more sustainable
by asking them to supply your office with
double-sided documents.
Complete the recycling loop! Buy recycled
paper and stationary made from recycled
material. Using recycled paper does not
mean a reduction in quality; in fact it is
generally of an equal or greater quality than
non-recyclable paper.

6.0 Carbon reduction policies

Queensland Health is committed to developing
policies focused on reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and promoting sustainable facets
of the work environment. The Queensland
Health Carbon Management Unit is devoted to
developing strategies and recommendations
aimed directly at incorporating sustainable
practices into the operation of Queensland
Health offices in order to reduce levels of
greenhouse gas emissions.
Because of the increasing risk and severity of
climate change, the Queensland Government
responded with a strategic policy framework.
In April 2007, the Queensland Government
announced its role in meeting a national
greenhouse gas emissions reduction target
of 60 per cent of the 2000 base-level by 2050
through the ClimateSmart 2050 strategic
initiative Queensland climate change
strategy 2007: a low carbon future. This Green
Office Resource Guide for Queensland Health
promotes the way the Queensland Government
supports ClimateSmart 2050 and can develop
strategies to reduce carbon emissions through
simple policy and behavioural changes in the
office environment.

green there done that!

The Queensland Government introduced

Climate Smart Buildings - Strategic Energy
Efficiency Policy for Queensland Government
Buildings in January 2008. This policy
document established mandatory energy
reduction targets and timeframes for reducing
energy consumption for all Queensland
Government buildings. Energy consumption
figures for 2005-2006 will be used as the
comparative baseline.
These mandatory consumption targets are as
follows:
5 per cent reduction by 2010
20 per cent reduction by 2015
Queensland Health has taken the lead in
developing strategic management plans
which are in line with ClimateSmart 2050.
In 2009, the Carbon Management Unit
released the Strategic Energy Management
Plan for ClimateSmart Buildings in order to
assist Queensland Health staff in integrating
sustainable practices into their day-to-day
ethos and support the existing sustainability
progress of Queensland Government, while
maintaining the capability to provide continuity
of quality health care to Queenslanders.
This Green Office Resource Guide demonstrates
Queensland Healths commitment to the
Queensland Governments greenhouse gas
reduction targets.

7.0 Water conservation policies

7.1 Water conservation goal

Install five or six star urinals, waterless

urinals or sensor flush control with flow
restrictor.

To develop Queensland Health offices that

promote the importance of water conservation
through increasing staff awareness of the
environmental impacts associated with
wasting water in the office. To enforce policies
which promote the importance of water as
a resource, not only for human use, but its
importance in maintaining a healthy and
productive environment.

7.2 Water conservation and the office

environment
Did you know?
Water covers two-thirds of the Earths surface
and permeates the atmosphere in the form of
water vapour. However, only 2.5 per cent of the
1.4 billion km3 of water on Earth is fresh and
the vast majority of this fresh water is secured
in polar ice caps.
Thus, the worlds human, flora and fauna
population depend upon just 0.075 per cent of
the Earths total water! Conservation is the key.
Did you know?
A dripping tap can waste up to 31,000 litres
each year - more than half the volume of a
backyard swimming pool.
Use dishwashers only when they are fully
loaded, using the economy cycle. Scrape
rather than rinse before placing items in the
dishwasher.
If boiling the kettle, only use as much water
as you personally need.
Replace single flush toilets with dual flush
toilets. This can save 8L/flush on average.

green there done that!

Inform cleaning staff of your commitment

to water reduction and conservation.
Discuss with them ways in which they can
look for opportunities to incorporate water
conservation into their cleaning procedures.

8.0 Waste management

policies
8.1 Waste management goal
To develop Queensland Health offices that
incorporate sustainable waste management
practices into the operation of their
office environment. Through the process
of environmental change management,
Queensland Health staff will maintain the
sustainability ethos of reduce, reuse, and
recycle.

The management of waste within an office

environment encompasses the issue of
replacing office equipment. This notion of
office procurement and subsequent waste
minimisation should include observation of the
five (5) Rs:
1. Rethink (do I really need to replace this piece
of equipment?)
2. Refuse (I dont need to replace this
equipment so I wont)
3. Reduce (maybe I only need to replace some
of this equipment)
4. Reuse (there might be someone that could
use this equipment even though it is not
what I need any more) and then
5. Recycle (now I will send it off to be recycled
because that is all it is good for; or all other
avenues have been considered).

8.2 Reduce, reuse, and recycle

an environmental ethos
Reduce
Encourage suppliers to be more sustainable
by asking them to provide your office with
double sided documents.
Set your printer default settings to print
double-sided.
Purchase office equipment capable of
double-sided printing.
Implement a paper-free electronic database
for information storage and communication
within your office in order to reduce
unnecessary paper use.
Think of the environment before you print.
Do you need a hard copy of the document?
Would it be possible to read from the
computer screen or use electronic means of
communication?

green there done that!

Did you know?

It takes 10 times more energy to manufacture a
sheet of paper than it does to copy onto it.
Reuse
Reuse single-sided paper as draft copies or
notepaper within the office.
Keep a once used paper box near every
printer and copier in your department and
educate and encourage you colleagues to use
them.
Reuse folders, file clips and covers.
Encourage staff to use reusable cups,
crockery, and cutlery for lunch/tea breaks
providing paper cups, plastic spoons, and
individually packaged sugar, milk and coffee
sachets should be discouraged in order to
avoid unnecessary waste.
Recycle
Construct a primary recycling station in a
central location within the office. This will
encourage staff to leave their desk to place
all recycling material in one area.
Every desk should have a paper recycling
box. Staff should empty their paper bins into
the central recycling station which is to be
centrally located in office.
If the office has a garden area, food scraps
may be composted. Certain members of staff
should be responsible for the management
of this compost garden.
Used printer toner cartridges can be
recycled. Toner cartridges contain harmful
chemicals which should not be placed into
our landfills.
For further information on how to recycle toner
cartridges visit http://www.cartcollect.com.au/

Did you know?

One tonne of recycled paper or cardboard
saves about 13 trees and 31,780 litres of water!

Did you know?

In an average year, Australia consumes about
3.5 million tonnes of paper, equating to about
40 million trees, of which about 40 per cent is
used for printing and writing.

9.0 Behavioural
management changes
Green office programs are cultural change
programs attempting to promote more
sustainable behaviour within the office
environment. It is the goal of this Green Office
Resource Guide that Queensland Health staff
employ these environmental policies as part
of their natural daily work routine. In essence,
this guide promotes a shift in behavioural
management toward more environmentally
sustainable work, and potentially home,
practices.

green there done that!

Research has shown there exists a causal

difference between attitude and behaviour.
Numerous people may maintain that
environmental sustainability is a personal
responsibility, such as recognising that
switching off a light and reducing energy
consumption is good for the environment.
However, this is in stark contrast with the
number of people who actually exert that
behaviour, and carry out that action of
switching off the light when they leave a room.
Thus, it is important to develop management
policies whereby a green attitude is
transferred into green behaviour.
However, if these behavioural management
changes are not effective in bridging the
gap between attitude and behaviour,
the alternative is a mechanical fix. Such
technological solutions include those
mentioned in Energy efficient polices such
as motion-sensor lighting, timer switches, or
energy management option software.
Furthermore, social norms are important tools
for behavioural management changes within
the office environment. Thus, it is imperative
that in order for the policies proposed in
this guide to be effective, activities such as
recycling, turning off office appliances at
the end of the day, and switching off lights
must become social norms within the office
environment.
Most people have positive attitudes towards
protecting the environment, but wont
behave the way they know would protect the
environment because of convenience, cost ($
or time), social norms, or they simply dont
know how.

Community based social marketing (CBSM) is

founded on the idea that most of us operate
in line with outside messages, circumstances,
and encouragement most of the time. CBSM
is a conceptual framework used to change
peoples environmental behaviours. The CBSM
framework involves the following steps:
clearly identify the desired behaviour change
identify barriers to this specific behaviour
change
identify benefits of this specific behaviour
change
implement a strategy commitment,
communication, incentives, norms
evaluate effectiveness
An example is provided below using the CBSM
framework, focusing on the attempt to change
the behaviour of staff in regards to energy
efficiency in the office environment:

1) Desired behavioural change

Staff to switch off common area lights at
end of the day

4) Communication
Office environmental representatives
survey staff about switching off lights and
removing certain light globes
Office environmental representatives
discuss ideas with staff
Signage, e.g. colour-coded floor plans,
explaining switches and location; signs/
stickers next to light switch reminding
people to switch off; signs redesigned
every two (2) months to grab peoples
attention
Environmental audits made public and
discussed with staff

5) Incentives
Night audits conducted, if staff meet two of
three criteria (lights off, screen off, paper
recycling bin emptied) a small gift left on
their desk (perhaps a small chocolate)

6) Norms

Staff not aware of location of light switches

The incentive becomes a visible sign of the

night audits and shows who did and did
not meet the environmental night audit
from the previous night

Staff not aware of how switches

correspond to specific areas

Effective once switching off all equipment

and lights becomes a natural routine

2) Barriers

No reminders or incentives to switch off

lights at end of day

3) Benefits
Environmental benefits lower energy
consumption
Monetary benefits lower energy costs
Increase positive office culture and social
norms

green there done that!

This example of an operational CBSM

framework for changing the behaviour of
office workers to switch off lighting can be
applied to many facets of management of the
green office, including information technology
management, office paper-waste management,
or water conservation.
Another effective behaviour management
change tool within the office environment
is to form office green teams responsible
for monitoring sustainability practices, and
awarding certain incentives. Establishment
of a green team or an individual green
officer will encourage staff to feel a part of
the solution to environmental sustainability.
However, it is imperative staff do not feel as if
they are being monitored by the environmental
police!

10.0 Green office

self-assessment reporting
The success of this Green Office Resource
Guide depends upon the ability to measure
the benefits, both social and environmental,
in order to correctly facilitate improved
performance and engage the notion of
encouraging participation at a strategic level.
To encourage active participation, and
foster staffs personal connectivity with the
sustainability policies detailed in this Green
Office Resource Guide, it is imperative that
management implement a green office selfassessment reporting system (refer to 10.1).

green there done that!

This reporting system will allow management

to calculate the specific energy savings for
each respective Queensland Health office, and
alert staff to the success of their actions in
making their office environment a sustainable
workplace. It is important the respective
environmental assessment tool used is
relevant, measurable, available, and applicable
to the office environment in which it is to be
applied.

10.1 National Australian Built

Environment Rating
System (NABERS)
National Australian Built Environment Rating
System (NABERS) is a voluntary environmental
rating system for office premises that
was developed by the New South Wales
Department of Environment and Climate
Change.
The well-established sustainability rating
system of NABERS is used by governmental
organisations to accurately measure their level
of sustainability according to a pre-established
baseline measurement.

The rating system is clearly illustrated later in

this document.
This voluntary self-assessment system
provides an explicit and consistent rating
system, with a clear performance-based
structure, and a realistic rating scale that
recognises and rewards current performance
levels, and encourages and promotes
sustainable practices.
NABERS can be shifted to provide separate
ratings for Queensland Health-owned office
buildings (covering the environmental impacts
of the building as a whole), and leased office
blocks (covering the environmental impacts
that are under the control of the office
occupants).
In order for the office management to perform
a self-assessment on the environmental
performance of the respective Queensland
Health office, they require a certain amount of
easily-accessible information. This information
must include:
area of office premises (m, preferably to PCA
standards)
occupancy (number of hours the building is
occupied each week)

green there done that!

location (postcode)
number of computers (for office tenants and
owner-occupiers)
energy and water use of the premises in the
past 12 months.

This data is input into the NABERS rating

calculator (available at http://www.nabers.
com.au/office.aspx), whereby sustainability
results and ratings will be produced for energy,
water, indoor environment, and waste.
NAEBERS uses a five (5) star rating system
to provide an accurate output of a buildings
actual yearly greenhouse gas emissions.
Ratings can be obtained for the base building
(includes central services of a building such
as air-conditioning, lifts, and common area
lighting).
Tenancy period (Includes occupants lights and
power use), or whole building rating (combines
base building and tenancy). The five (5) star
rating is explained on the following page.

NAEBERS five star rating system

5 Stars HHHHH

2 Stars HH

Exceptional performance!

Good performance!

Your office has exceptionally levels of energy

efficiency, because of integrated design,
operation, management, and staff members
are operating sustainably.
4 Stars HHHH

Your office has some elements of energy

efficiency in place and reflects the current
status quo in regards to energy consumption.
There is still scope for cost-effective
improvements and minor changes may improve
on the buildings energy and operating costs.

Excellent performance!

1 Star H

Your office demonstrates excellent energy

performance because of design and
management practices or high efficiency
systems and equipment.

Poor performance!
Your office is consuming a lot of unnecessary
energy. There are cost-effective changes
that can be implemented to improve energy
consumption, cut operating costs and reduce
greenhouse emissions.

3 Stars HHH
Very good performance!
Your office has very good systems and
management practices and reflects an
awareness of the financial and environmental
benefits of optimising energy use.

Very Good
od
o
G

Ex
ce
lle
n

Current market
best practice

This building offers very

Strong
good systems and
management practices
performance
and reflects an
awareness of the
This building demonstrates
This building has some elements
financial and
excellent energy performance
of energy efficiency in place
environmental
due to design and management
and reflects the current market
benefits of
practices or high efficiency
average. There is still scope for
optimising
systems and equipment, or
cost-effective improvements
energy use.
low greenhouse intensive
and minor changes
fuel supply.
may
improve
Poor energy
this buildings energy
management or
and operating
costs.
outdated systems
Best building

This building is consuming a lot of

unnecessary energy. There are cost
effective changes that can be
implemented to improve energy
consumption, cut operating costs and
reduce greenhouse emissions.

green there done that!

performance

This building
is exceptional due to
integrated design, operation,
management and fuel choice.

onal
epti
Exc

Poor

Average building
performance

March 2009
The State of Queensland 2009
Copyright protects this publication. However the
Queensland Government has no objection to this material
being reproduced with acknowledgement, except for
commercial purposes. Permission to reproduce for
commercial purposes should be sought from
Carbon Management Unit
Health Services Purchasing and Logistics Branch
Queensland Health
GPO Box 48
BRISBANE QLD 4001
An electronic version of this document is available at
www.health.qld.gov.au/carbon_management

green there done that!