We touched on the current energy efficiency review being carried out by the ABCB in the article on the 10 Year anniversary. The scope of the changes are potentially very broad so we thought we would bring some more information directly from the ABCB. There is a link to the full ABCB information page at the bottom of this article.
The 2016-17 financial year sees the ABCB embarking on a significant suite of work relating to the advancement of the Energy Efficiency Provisions in the NCC. These changes will be considered as part of NCC 2019.
The piece of work stems from the ABCB’s response to Measure 31 of the Council of Australian Governments’ National Energy Productivity Plan.
Further changes are proposed to the commercial energy efficiency requirements, which are aimed at increasing the flexibility of the requirements and the number of compliance options available. This will promote innovation, reduce ‘red tape’ for industry, and improve interpretation and compliance with the NCC provisions.
This will be achieved through:
- quantification of the mandatory Performance Requirements
- introducing a NABERS Energy Commitment Agreement Verification Method
- introducing a Green Star Verification Method
- introducing commissioning requirements
- improved consideration of on-site renewables such as photovoltaics
- improved thermal bridging requirements, and simpler Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) Provisions.
The significant nature of the initiative has led the ABCB to establish two working groups:-
– one Commercial
– one Residential
Working group members include representatives from organisations such as the Australian Institute of Architects, the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council, the Property Council of Australia and the Housing Industry Association. The working groups will help provide input into the technical aspects of the project.
Find out more from these articles on the ABCB website.
– Energy Efficiency Initiative
