Watkins Payne shares insights into pursuing NABERS UK

Can you tell us about the building and why you chose to pursue a NABERS UK Energy for Offices rating?

Our Surrey office is located in Sunbury-on-Thames and operates as a single-occupier workplace rather than a multi-tenant asset. The building was originally constructed in the 1960s, which makes it a strong example of how existing buildings can still achieve exceptional operational performance.

We wanted a verified, evidence-based measure of how the building performs in real operation, not just what it was designed to achieve on paper. NABERS UK provided a credible way to demonstrate performance, highlight improvement opportunities and continually raise the bar through ongoing optimisation.

Watkins Payne has also been actively involved in NABERS UK since its early development in 2019 through the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP). Having delivered two pilot projects during that early phase, applying NABERS UK principles to our own office was a natural next step and an opportunity to lead by example.

What were you hoping to achieve from the rating, and did you have any initial concerns?

We were aiming to achieve four key outcomes:

• Independent validation of real energy performance

• A clear roadmap for targeted improvements

• Demonstrating that high performance can be achieved without relying solely on major capital upgrades

• Gaining insights that could be applied to our current and future projects

One of our early considerations was whether meaningful improvement would require significant capital investment. In practice, we found the opposite. With the right mindset, well-optimised controls and by leveraging our in-house expertise, we were able to drive significant performance improvements through focused operational interventions and staff engagement.

What was involved in the assessment process?

The process was relatively straightforward. We provided utility invoices covering the assessment period and a measured area survey. The majority of the remaining information was gathered by the NABERS Assessor during their site visit.

As a whole-building energy rating under the single-occupier rules, the process was manageable internally and did not require additional metering or costly monitoring upgrades. This significantly reduced potential barriers to entry while still delivering a robust and credible performance assessment.

Were there any challenges during the process?

One of the main challenges was addressing initial staff concerns that reducing energy consumption might negatively impact comfort levels. It was important to communicate that improving energy performance would go hand-in-hand with improving occupant comfort.

While there were some challenges when implementing new control strategies, the increased focus on how our HVAC systems operate has ultimately improved environmental conditions across the office floors and resulted in positive feedback from staff.

What impact has achieving a NABERS UK rating had?

As a single-occupier building, we do not use the rating directly as a leasing tool in the same way a multi-let landlord might. However, it has significantly strengthened our credibility as a building performance engineering practice by demonstrating that we apply the same standards to our own workplace as we advocate for our clients.

The rating has also delivered measurable operational benefits. Across two rating cycles, we have achieved a 20% reduction in real-world energy consumption, and we continue to identify further improvement opportunities as part of our ongoing optimisation approach.