Green Star Performance v2: Use your existing NABERS tracking to easily achieve points

If your team regularly certifies for NABERS, it's likely that you've covered most of the requirements for Green Star's two biggest operational credits: Energy Use and Water Use.

This is the practical takeaway buried in the Green Star Performance v2 calculation guides. The Energy Use and Water Use credits both put the NABERS methodology first. Not as one option among many, but rather as the pathway you are expected to use. And the even better news? Green Star Performance v2 is aligned with NABERS' 2030 trajectory, so you're already set for the future.

Key takeaways

• If a building can get a NABERS rating, the NABERS pathway is the one Green Star Performance v2 expects you to use for the Energy Use and Water Use credits.
• Energy Use and Water Use are worth up to 7 points each, 14 in total, and above 3 Stars they are rating expectations rather than optional extras.
• Points come from beating NABERS star baselines on genuine efficiency. On-site renewables and recycled water do not count toward the baseline.
• Evidence is submitted every year, so a drifting meter or an undetected fault can cost you on both ratings at once.
• The Energy Use credit measures energy intensity, not emissions, which is the same basis NABERS Energy moves to from July 2030.

These credits are not optional

In Green Star Performance v2, Energy Use and Water Use each sit across three performance levels: Credit Achievement, High Performance, and Exceptional Performance. Together, each credit is worth up to 7 points, so 14 points across the two, one of the tool's largest operational point pools.

But points are only half the story. These two credits also double as rating expectations - the things a building has to do to reach a given star level. Measuring and disclosing your energy and water consumption (Credit Achievement) is required from 3 Stars up. Beating the average performer (High Performance) is required from 4 Stars up. So above 3 Stars you are not choosing whether to engage these credits. You are choosing how well.

NABERS is the first pathway, not a shortcut

Each credit lists four pathways, and they have to be used in order. Pathway A is the NABERS rating. If your building is eligible for a NABERS rating, then that is the pathway you use.

The other pathways exist for buildings that cannot get a NABERS rating yet, and even then, you can only use them for the first three years. By the fourth year you are expected to move onto the NABERS pathway. Where no valid rating exists in the meantime, the NABERS reverse calculator fills the gap.

How the points actually work

The baseline is a NABERS star level. For offices, the base building baseline sits at 4.5 Stars NABERS Energy, whole building at 3.5 Stars, and all other sectors at 3 Stars. For water, the baseline is 3 Stars across all sectors.

Achieve a NABERS rating and you can claim Green Star's Credit Achievement. Demonstrate a measured reduction against the average performer and you can rise into High Performance and Exceptional Performance, up to three points at each level. The bigger the improvement against the NABERS benchmark, the more points you earn. Two things worth noting:

1. On-site renewables and on-site recycled water do not count toward the baseline intensity, so you have to hit the benchmark on genuine efficiency first.
2. Evidence for these credits has to be submitted every year, not once. This is an ongoing performance credit, not a set-and-forget.

There is a bigger shift hiding in this detail

Notice what the credit measures. Energy intensity, in MJ per metric, not carbon emissions. That is a deliberate change from the old v1.2 credit, which was built around emissions, and it puts Green Star ahead of NABERS itself.

From July 2030, NABERS Energy is moving off emissions factors and onto an energy-based metric that treats electricity and gas equally, so ratings reward genuine efficiency rather than fuel choice as the grid decarbonises. The NABERS National Steering Committee approved the change in March 2026. The logic is simple: as the grid gets cleaner, an emissions-only rating would reward buildings for the grid's progress rather than their own. So by targeting the Green Star Energy Use credit today, on an intensity basis, you are already measuring the way NABERS will measure from 2030. You are not just aligned with NABERS as it is, you are aligned with where it is going.

The good news if you are already NABERS certified

Because both credits track NABERS, the meters, sub-meters and consumption data behind your NABERS rating are the same inputs behind your Green Star points. Track it once, use it twice. Across the whole tool, the GBCA says buildings with NABERS ratings can earn up to 27 points towards a Performance rating.

But there is a catch, and it is the same catch that trips up NABERS ratings. A rating is only as good as the meters feeding it. One mislabelled meter. One undetected fault. One tenancy split that drifts out of date. Any of them can quietly erode both your NABERS rating and your Green Star points at the same time.

This is where continuous monitoring does the heavy lifting. CIM's PEAK Platform collects and cleans utility, sub-meter and equipment data into one portfolio-level view, then tracks performance against benchmarks in real time. The same engine CIM clients use to estimate and protect a NABERS rating, flagging at-risk assets and pinpointing the exact equipment driving consumption, can be pointed straight at the Green Star Energy Use and Water Use credits. You get a live estimate of where a building sits, early warning when it drifts, and audit-ready evidence when it is time to submit. It is how one CIM client caught a holiday-period water leak and kept its NABERS Water rating intact.

With the credits aligned to NABERS, certifying against Green Star no longer means running a parallel data exercise. The reporting rests on a reality you are already managing.

Want help tracking or estimating your Green Star Energy Use and Water Use credits, or protecting the NABERS ratings underneath them? Get in touch to see it on your own data.

Frequently asked questions

Does a NABERS rating count towards Green Star Performance v2?

Yes. For the Energy Use and Water Use credits, a NABERS rating is Pathway A, the first of four pathways that must be used in order. If a building is eligible for a NABERS rating, that is the pathway it is expected to use. Across the whole tool, the GBCA says buildings with NABERS ratings can earn up to 27 points towards a Performance rating.

How many points are the Green Star Energy Use and Water Use credits worth?

Each credit is worth up to 7 points, so 14 points across the two, spread over three levels: Credit Achievement, High Performance and Exceptional Performance. That makes them one of the largest operational point pools in Green Star Performance v2.

Are the Energy Use and Water Use credits mandatory in Green Star Performance v2?

Above 3 Stars, effectively yes. Measuring and disclosing energy and water consumption (Credit Achievement) is a rating expectation from 3 Stars up, and beating the average performer (High Performance) is required from 4 Stars up.

What are the pathways for the Energy Use and Water Use credits?

There are four pathways and they must be used in order, starting with Pathway A, a NABERS rating. The other pathways are for buildings that cannot yet get a NABERS rating and can only be used for the first three years. By the fourth year the building is expected to move onto the NABERS pathway, and the NABERS reverse calculator fills the gap where no valid rating exists in the meantime.

What NABERS baseline does Green Star Performance v2 use?

For offices, the energy baseline is 4.5 Stars NABERS Energy for base building and 3.5 Stars for whole building. All other sectors use a 3 Star energy baseline, and the water baseline is 3 Stars across all sectors.

How do you earn High Performance and Exceptional Performance points?

Achieving a NABERS rating earns Credit Achievement. Demonstrating a measured reduction against the average performer lifts a building into High Performance and Exceptional Performance, with up to three points at each level. The bigger the improvement against the NABERS benchmark, the more points you earn.

Do on-site renewables count towards the Green Star Energy Use credit?

No. On-site renewables and on-site recycled water do not count toward the baseline intensity, so a building has to hit the benchmark on genuine efficiency first.

How often do you submit evidence for the Energy Use and Water Use credits?

Every year. Green Star Performance v2 uses annual certification, and the GBCA submission guidance requires Energy Use and Water Use evidence each year because these credits look back at how the building actually performed.

Does Green Star Performance v2 measure energy or emissions?

Energy. The Energy Use credit measures energy intensity in MJ per metric rather than carbon emissions, a deliberate change from the emissions-based v1.2 credit.

What is changing in NABERS Energy in 2030?

From July 2030, NABERS Energy moves off emissions factors onto an energy-based metric that treats electricity and gas equally, so ratings reward genuine efficiency rather than the grid's decarbonisation. The NABERS National Steering Committee approved the change in March 2026. Our recap of the July 2025 NABERS updates covers the changes already in effect.

What can undermine both a NABERS rating and Green Star points?

Bad data. A mislabelled meter, an undetected fault or a tenancy split that drifts out of date can quietly erode both ratings at the same time, because both run on the same meter and consumption data.

How can you track Green Star Energy Use and Water Use credits between submissions?

With continuous monitoring. Platforms that already estimate NABERS ratings from live utility, sub-meter and equipment data can show where a building sits against the Green Star credits, warn early when it drifts, and produce audit-ready evidence at submission time.