22 Aug 2011
UniSuper invests in a diversified range of unlisted property and listed property trusts, providing members with exposure to a vast number of high quality commercial properties such as office towers, shopping centres and industrial warehouses.
The environmental rating of our property portfolio puts UniSuper in a strong position against some of the possible negative effects the Australian Government’s carbon tax could have on your super.
UniSuper’s Head of Private Markets, Kent Robbins said this is also an opportunity to enhance investment returns in a property market showing an increasing demand for buildings with good environmental ratings.
“By choosing to invest in more environmentally sustainable buildings, as well as encouraging our property managers to introduce environmentally sustainable measures into the portfolio, we’re not only enhancing and protecting the environment, but also the value of the investment” said Mr Robbins.
With building managers becoming increasingly aware of the techniques available to measure and improve the environmental performance of their buildings, one of the widely recognised rating tools is the NABER (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) scale, which operates on a star rating.
Based on the rated assets within UniSuper’s unlisted office property portfolio, we have calculated an average NABER scale energy rating of 4.2 stars and aim to reach a 4.5 star rating over the next two years – a rating we believe to be at market leading level.
Despite rating systems for retail and industrial properties being in an earlier stage of development, a range of carbon-friendly initiatives are also being introduced to reduce energy and water usage and boost waste recycling in many shopping centres UniSuper has investment exposure to.
These initiatives include energy efficient lighting, rainwater harvesting, water flow restrictors, waste recycling and composting, upgrading plant equipment and air conditioning systems.