One building, two rating systems, a fixed budget: hit the target, then see how much of your badge was real improvement and how much was clever measurement.
A NABERS IE star rates measured performance: five dimensions scored equally, then averaged into one star.
NABERS weights all five dimensions equally, so the overall star is just their average. You can raise a dimension two ways: a real upgrade that lifts what occupants actually experience, or a measurement tactic that changes when, where, or how you sample so only the reading moves. Because NABERS re-rates every three years with clean, full-period sampling, a rating built on tactics collapses at recertification while one built on real work survives.
Five dimensions, each rated 1 to 6 stars from its measured performance; the overall star is their average (NABERS weights all five equally). Spend your budget on real upgrades (they lift what occupants experience and what the sensors read) or on cheaper measurement tactics (they lift only what the sensors read). Reach the target star without going over budget.
| Dimension | Real upgrade (raises true & measured) | Measurement tactic (raises measured only) |
|---|
Each dimension carries a true score (0 to 100, what occupants experience) and a measured score (what the rating sees). A real upgrade adds to both. A measurement tactic adds only to the measured score, because it changes when, where, or how you sample, not the building.
Real thresholds sit behind this (thermal = % time operative temperature inside the ASHRAE 55 band, roughly 75% for 4 stars and 85%+ for 5; IAQ = % time CO2 at or below 1000 ppm; acoustics at or below 55 dB(A) open-plan; lighting 300 to 500 lux with glare control; layout by m2/person and satisfaction). The 0 to 100 scale is a teaching simplification of those bands, not the NABERS algorithm.
WELL certifies by counting credits rather than by measuring performance, so the badge depends on which credits you buy.
WELL awards points for optional features and certifies once you pass a points threshold (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum). A cheap policy credit such as a dress code, a stress-management plan or an air monitor can be worth the same points as an expensive performance credit like more outdoor air or reverberation control. So two routes reach the same band at very different cost and very different real benefit, and the certificate can run well ahead of what occupants feel. (Same building as Act 1.)
Same building, a different logic. WELL v2 awards points for optional features across its concepts; hit a points threshold and you certify. Preconditions (particulate limits, a ventilation design, no indoor smoking, acoustic zoning, a mental-health commitment) are assumed met. Now buy optional credits with your effort budget to reach the target band. Watch which credits actually change the indoor environment and which just need a policy or a form.
The real WELL v2 standard certifies at 40 (Bronze), 50 (Silver), 60 (Gold), and 80 (Platinum) points out of about 100. This round models a representative slice of the health-relevant concepts (Air, Light, Thermal, Sound, Mind) worth points, so the band lines are scaled to that slice by the same 40/50/60/80 percent proportions.
Point values are the real per-feature maximums from the WELL v2 scorecard (Q3 to Q4 2024). The effort costs and the occupant-benefit rating (three dots = high, two = partial, one = policy or awareness only) are teaching estimates, set to expose the gap between what scores points and what improves the space.