Understanding green building energy performance in the context of commercial estates: A multi-year and cross-region analysis using the Australian commercial building disclosure database

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) Vol. 222; p. 119988
• Main Authors: Gui, Xuechen, Gou, Zhonghua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2021; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Buildings; Clean energy; Commercial buildings; Commercial estate; Commercial real estate; Context; Dependent variables; Energy; Energy consumption; Energy rating; Energy use intensity; Green building; Green buildings; Green development; Incentives; Independent variables; Office buildings; Panel data; Real estate; Regression analysis; Regression models; Statistical analysis; Urban areas; Urban environments; Australia; EMI; GIS; COVID; Green building; GDP; Energy use intensity; Panel data; CBD; Commercial estate; EUI; NABERS; Energy rating
• ISSN: 0360-5442; 1873-6785
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2021.119988

To understand the relationship between green building energy performance and regional commercial estates, this study analysed Australia’s Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program database. This database discloses the annual energy use intensity (EUI) and the corresponding energy rating (1–6 stars) of 2460 National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) certified office buildings. The study selected for analysis Australia’s six largest cities and then used panel data regression, where commercial estate factors (total stock of office buildings, vacancy rate, average gross face rent, and government incentives such as financial support) served as independent variables and the EUI was the dependent variable. The p-values of all the models are below 0.05, indicating that the results are statistically significant. Results showed the commercial real estate factors were significantly related to the EUI for buildings with a rating of 1 star and above. The correlation between EUI and commercial real estate factors became less strong with the rating level increasing. The effect of ‘green building’ branding makes the office buildings more attractive with regard to tenancy and their energy performance more reflective of the variation in the commercial real estate market. This study is a frontrunner in contextualising green building energy performance and ratings in the context of regional commercial estate, and the regression models employed in the study could be used to define regional baselines for energy ratings in future studies.
•Real estate market and green building energy performance were correlated.•Panel data regression models were established for six major cities of Australia.•Real estate factors had certain influence on energy performance of green buildings.•Results provide guidance for energy rating baselines considering economic activities.