How the NCC energy efficiency changes affect you

Frater Consulting Services has been fielding questions from clients since the Building Ministers made the announcement.

Key dates

• Australian states and territories will adopt NCC 2022 on May 1, 2023
• New energy efficiency (including a minimum of seven stars) and condensation mitigation requirements commence October 1, 2023
• New livable housing requirements also start October 1, 2023
• NCC 2022 will be available from October 1, 2022 for those who wish to use the new provisions.
• The transitional arrangements will allow practitioners to continue using the relevant provisions of NCC 2019 until the end of the relevant transition period.

Changes

The two key elements to the new energy efficiency requirements of NCC 2022 are:

• A new minimum level of thermal performance equivalent to “7 stars” NatHERS thermal performance, to improve the thermal comfort of homes year round.
• Using the Whole of Home tool, a new annual energy use budget that provides a flexible approach to encouraging the selection of more efficient equipment. 

There’s also a range of options for demonstrating compliance with these new requirements, including a mix of practical solutions that can be customised to the climate and location of each build.

NatHERS Whole of Home ratings show how the home meets or beats the new NCC annual energy use budget which requires consideration of the efficiency of the appliances used in new homes and solar and batteries.

Adding to the current NatHERS star rating assessment out of ten, the Whole of Home Performance Rating will be a separate rating out of 100.

The energy value of a building’s domestic services must not exceed 70 per cent of the energy value.

Domestic services, including any associated distribution system and components, must, to the degree necessary, have features that facilitate the efficient use of energy appropriate to the geographic location of the building, the domestic service and its usage, the location of the domestic service and the energy source.

NCC 2022 also has thermal bridging factored into it for metal frame construction. It’s a prudent move given builders are increasingly adopting steel frames due to the timber shortage. The requirements for thermal bridging can be found in 13.2 Building Fabric in the ABCB Housing Provisions Standard 2022, namely 13.2.3 Roofs and ceilings, 13.2.5 External Walls and 13.2.6 Floors and subfloor walls

Frater Consulting Services is here to help

As a leader in the energy rating industry, Frater Consulting Services is here to help you transition to the more stringent regulations.

We have already helped a number of clients prepare for transition to the Seven Star requirements. Please don’t hesitate to contact Frater Consulting Services to find out how you can better prepare your company transition to the new Seven Star requirements.