The federal government has announced a $10 million funding expansion of the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program, which the Energy Efficiency Council (EEC) has welcomed, while urging faster inclusion of major commercial energy users such as shopping centres and data centres.
The announcement, made by Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson, forms part of a broader $20 million investment to enhance energy efficiency across Australia’s built environment.
Luke Menzel, CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council, stated: “The Commercial Building Disclosure program has a simple premise – the energy performance of a building is provided at point of sale or lease.
“This allows buyers and tenants to compare and contrast, and gives building owners and managers the information they need to invest in the energy performance of their building.”
He noted the program’s success since its 2010 inception, highlighting its role in lowering energy bills and emissions while increasing asset values and tenant retention in large office buildings.
Menzel added: “This new roadmap goes some way towards fixing that. It sets out a timeline expanding the program to new commercial building types, with office tenancies and hotels the next cabs off the rank.
“This is a great first step, but the roadmap isn’t proposing expansion to some big asset classes like shopping centres and data centres until the 2030s.”
He emphasised that accelerating the inclusion of these sectors is critical to meeting Australia’s 2035 emissions reduction target of 62–70 per cent, stating: “The CBD program is an obvious place for the government to lean in and get some of these extra asset classes included more quickly so we can bring down emissions while improving outcomes for business.”
The expanded CBD program is a key component of the government’s Built Environment Sector Plan, aiming to improve transparency and drive energy efficiency across commercial properties.
The additional $10 million will also support the enhancement of the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS), expanding its tools and services to cover more building types and ownership models.
Historical data shows that upgrading office buildings from a 4 to 6-star NABERS rating has yielded average annual savings of $280,000, with projected energy savings more than doubling and emissions reductions nearly tripling under the expanded program.
The EEC had previously welcomed foundational investments in energy efficiency and electrification aligned with the 2035 target, reinforcing the importance of policy mechanisms like the CBD program in achieving national climate goals.
