Commercial Class 2-9 Buildings
On 1 May 2006, The Building Code of Australia (BCA) 2006, incorporated new energy efficiency provisions for the design and construction of all Class 5-9 commercial buildings such as offices, shopping centres, theatres, hospitals, sports facilities, schools and other public buildings.
These new measures follow the introduction of energy efficiency measures for multi residential buildings and hotels in BCA Volume One on 1 May 2005 . The major areas addressed in the changes of BCA Volume One include new Performance Requirements and Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions for the following aspects of buildings:
- The thermal performance of walls, ceilings, floors, glazing including shading in order to avoid or reduce the use of artificial conditioning (heating and cooling).
- The sealing of buildings to reduce energy loss through air leakage.
- Natural ventilation and internal air movement, where appropriate, to avoid or reduce the use of artificial conditioning.
o Engineering services including-
o Lighting systems
o Air-conditioning, heating and ventilation systems
o Hot water supply systems
o Maintenance of these systems
The Department of Housing and Works has developed a series of declaration/check sheets that can be used to verify compliance with the Acceptable Construction Practices detailed in the BCA.
The use of these check sheets is on a voluntary basis, as they are not regulated and therefore are not mandatory. They were developed to:
- Promote a consistent approach to the assessment of building licence applications when applying the energy efficiency requirements of the BCA, and
- Provide a simple solution for builders and designers when submitting information to verify compliance with the BCA.
| Class 2-4 and 9c buildings: | Climate zones 1 or 3 (doc 275kB) |
| Climate zone 4 (doc 282kB) | |
| Climate zone 5 (doc 278kB) | |
| Climate zone 6 (doc 285kB) |
| Class 5-9: s | Climate zones 1,3,4 or 6 (doc 297kB) |
| Climate zones 5 (doc 283kB) |
Part J5 HVAC systems Class 2-9 buildings, climate zones 1,3,4,5 or 6 (pdf 59.1kB)
Part J6 Artificial lighting and power Class 2-9 buildings, climate zones 1,3,4,5 or 6 (pdf 52.3kB)
Glazing calculator for Class 2-4 and 9c buildings Method 1 (version 1.02)
Glazing calculator for Class 2-9 buildings Method 2 (version 1.01)
Residential Class 1 And 10 Buildings
On 1 May 2006, The Building Code of Australia (BCA) 2006, incorporated new enhanced energy efficiency provisions for the design and construction of all Class 1 single residential houses.
These new measures follow the introduction of energy efficiency measures into BCA Volume Two (Housing Provisions) on 1 January 2003. The major areas addressed in the changes of BCA Volume Two (Housing Provisions) include new Performance Requirements and Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions for the following aspects of single residential buildings:
- Increased thermal performance of walls, ceilings, floors, glazing including shading in order to avoid or reduce the use of artificial conditioning (heating and cooling).
- The sealing of buildings to reduce energy loss through air leakage.
- Natural ventilation and internal air movement, where appropriate, to avoid or reduce the use of artificial conditioning.
- The energy efficiency of hot water and air conditioning systems.
The State Government has gone further and introduced 5 Star Plus, which builds in the energy efficiencies of 5 Star and adds the benefits of water use reduction measures for new homes right across the state.
The Department of Housing and Works has developed a series of check sheets that can be used to verify compliance with the Acceptable Construction Practices detailed in the BCA.
- Promote a consistent approach to the assessment of building licence applications when applying the energy efficiency requirements of the BCA, and
- Provide a simple solution for builders and designers when submitting information to verify compliance with the BCA.
The use of these check sheets is on a voluntary basis, as they are not regulated and therefore are not mandatory
BCA Energy Provisions Checksheets*
Energy efficiency conformance sheet for Climate zone 1 (doc 293kB)
Energy efficiency conformance sheet for Climate zone 3 (doc 289kB)
Energy efficiency conformance sheet for Climate zone 4 (doc 296kB)
Energy efficiency conformance sheet for Climate zone 5 (doc 299kB)
Energy efficiency conformance sheet for Climate zone 6 (doc 290kB)
* Please note that these check sheet relate to the BCA deemed-to-satisfy compliance only.
Building a Better Future with a 5 Star House (PDF 423kB)
5 Star Plus is based on energy and water use regulations for housing that have been incorporated into the BCA, to improve the energy and water efficiency of new homes.
5 Star Plus – A New Standard in Sustainable Housing (PDF 564kB)
BCA Energy Provisions Glazing Calculators
Glazing Calculator for BCA Volume 2 (version 1.02 - 40 rows)
Glazing Calculator for BCA Volume 2 plus air movement
