The 2026 NABERS Update: Is Your Building’s Lighting Costing You Stars?
If you manage an office building (or even just sit on the owners’ side of a strata committee), it’s easy to treat lighting as “sorted”. The fittings are in, people can see their keyboards, job done. In practice, lighting controls and upgrades often sit right in the firing line when ratings are assessed, because lighting runs for long hours, spreads across large areas, and is frequently connected to the wrong meters. That matters more in 2026, when teams are working under the latest office rules (v5.2) and updated metering guidance (v2.6), and when lighting product compliance settings also shift.
For many property owners, a NABERS star rating is not just a badge. In Australia’s Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) scheme, certain office buildings must include their NABERS Energy for offices rating in advertising when offering space for sale or lease.
What’s actually “new” for 2026?
When people talk about the 2026 NABERS update, they’re usually bundling a few real-world changes together:
- The “Energy and Water for Offices” rules moved to version 5.2 in 2025, with updates to evidence requirements and how some hours can be entered when they vary.
- The separate “Metering and Consumption” rules moved to version 2.6 in August 2025, and they set out how assessors treat metering coverage, data quality, and end-use checks across NABERS tools.
- NABERS released a consultation paper in late 2025 about possible changes to how energy sources are compared as the grid decarbonises. It’s a live discussion, not a settled rule, but it signals where the scheme may head next.
- Outside NABERS, Australia’s GEMS rules for LED lamps change from 3 March 2026, which affects what products can be supplied and registered.
Lighting’s hidden impact on your rating
Lighting tends to show up in two ways:
- as straightforward electricity use, and
- as “messy edges” in the data.
- The electricity part is obvious: Office lighting energy consumption can be high when lights run beyond occupied hours, or when zones stay on for cleaning, security patrols, or late meetings.
- The messy edges are more frustrating. The metering rules warn assessors to check for end uses that have been connected to the wrong board or meter, including cases where base building services appear on tenant distribution boards (and vice versa).
That’s why good building lighting energy efficiency isn’t only about buying efficient fittings. It’s also about knowing what’s being measured, where it’s being measured, and whether the story your meters tell matches how the building actually operates.
Tenancy vs base building: where lighting sits
A common misconception is that lighting “belongs” entirely to the base building. Under the office rules, that’s not automatically true.
Tenancy rating typically covers lighting and power within the tenancy, along with certain other tenancy requirements. That’s exactly why NABERS tenancy lighting and power can’t be waved away as a tenant-only issue when you’re trying to lift performance.
At the same time, base building ratings include items such as common-area lighting and power, exterior lighting, and other central services. If you’ve ever wondered why two buildings with similar floor plates can end up with very different results, this split is part of the answer. A building with tidy zoning, sensible hours and clear allocation can look far better on paper than a building where lighting loads blur across boundaries.
Submetering for lighting and tenancy loads: the make-or-break detail
This is where many upgrades fall down. You can install efficient fittings and still get a headache at rating time if you can’t clearly support what’s inside the rating boundary.
The metering rules emphasise process: identify sources and supply points, confirm minimum coverage, validate metering systems where relevant, and correct for missing data within permitted limits. For lighting, that shows up as practical checks:
- Are any shared areas fed from a tenant board?
- Do after-hours circuits sit on the “wrong” meter?
- Do lighting circuits have enough separation that you can defend allocations?
The rules also include worked examples for estimating energy use when needed, including dimmed lighting where the duty cycle reflects the dimming level. That kind of detail may sound picky, yet it’s often the difference between “we think this is right” and “we can prove this is right”.
One of the simplest technical levers is lighting power density (LPD) reduction. Lower watts per square metre helps, but only when operating hours and controls don’t undo the savings.
What lighting upgrades make sense in 2026?
- A well-planned LED lighting retrofit still pays its way in many buildings, especially where older fluorescents or halogens linger.
- What changes in 2026 is the procurement backdrop: the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (LED Lamps) Determination 2025 commences on 3 March 2026, introducing regulated requirements for in-scope LED lamps.
- If you’re buying lamps in bulk for a portfolio, it’s worth checking registration and compliance early, rather than finding out mid-project that a preferred product line can’t be supplied.
- Beyond the fitting itself, simple operational choices matter: zoning to match real occupancy, sensible set-backs after hours, and maintenance that keeps sensors working.
Done properly, these steps help you improve NABERS stars without turning the office into a cave.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the 2026 NABERS update, and does it change how lighting affects my rating?
In most day-to-day discussions, the “2026 update” refers to working under the latest NABERS rules released in 2025 and carried into 2026. The current office rules (v5.2) set the framework for what’s included and what evidence assessors need. The “Metering and Consumption” rules (v2.6) guide how meters, coverage, and consumption data are treated across NABERS ratings. Lighting still matters because it forms part of tenancy loads and some base building loads, and because misallocation can distort totals.
2. Does NABERS count tenant lighting and power, or only base building services?
It depends on the rating type. The office rules state that a tenancy rating typically covers lighting and power within the tenancy, plus certain tenant requirements, while base building ratings cover central services and common-area loads (including common-area lighting and power). That’s why you need clarity on scope before you diagnose performance.
3. How much can LED retrofits improve a NABERS Energy star rating?
There’s no fixed uplift because NABERS compares your measured performance against a benchmark, and results depend on hours, occupancy, and what else is happening in the building. Still, LED upgrades often reduce lighting kWh and cooling demand from heat, which can shift the overall outcome. For best results, pair efficient fittings with verified control settings and metering that cleanly captures the change. NABERS ratings are expressed in stars from market average to market leading performance.
4. What lighting factors hurt NABERS most: LPD, operating hours, or controls?
All three can hurt, but operating hours and controls often surprise people. A good design can look poor if lights run well outside rated hours or if zones stay on for small pockets of use. The metering rules include examples where lighting hours and dimming levels affect estimated consumption, which shows how closely usage patterns can be scrutinised.
5. What metering do I need for a stronger NABERS outcome?
Start with confidence in what each meter supplies. The metering rules set out steps for identifying sources and supply points, meeting minimum coverage, and validating systems where required. They also flag the risk of base building loads appearing on tenant boards (and the other way around). If lighting circuits are tangled across scopes, submetering or reconfiguration can make the consumption picture defensible, which helps at rating time.