4 April 2022
Over the past year Territory companies have been informing research into how more energy efficient commercial buildings can be constructed in the NT.
With a team of four local sub-contractors, leading energy efficiency professionals DeltaQ have undertaken a cost benefit analysis on bringing Section J in for new commercial buildings.
The National Construction Code (NCC) sets the minimum standard for energy efficiency for a building, including its services, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Section J of the NCC primarily addresses the thermal performance of a building and its services, such as heating, cooling and lighting, however it does not currently apply to non-residential buildings in the NT
The overall results show that the benefits of adopting Section J outweigh the costs with between 6% and 40% energy savings. This is offset against a small increase in construction costs between 1.3% and 2.6%.
The Territory Government is already leading by example – energy efficiency in new Territory Government commercial builds must occur for projects valued over $3 million. Section J has been applied to a number of projects such as the Palmerston Regional Hospital and Zuccoli Primary School, contributing to industry education on the requirements and implementation of Section J.
