- Cheaper electricity bills – average of $185 savings every year
- Cleaner environment – lowers carbon emissions by 1.64 million tonnes
- Increased comfort – homes will be built to cater for evolving accessibility needs
Future generations of Australians will enjoy greater comfort in their homes as well as cheaper power bills thanks to national laws delivering modern building standards.
To balance the needs of homeowners and industry, the Palaszczuk Government has agreed to a phased approach to the National Construction Code 2022, with implementation from October 1, 2023 through to May 1, 2025.
In Queensland, accessibility standards will be introduced from October 1, with generous transition time frames for certain builds, including those on smaller lots, while the iconic Queenslander will be exempt from a step-free entry, with improvements that ensure new home-builds feature enhanced accessibility.
These changes will significantly reduce or even avoid the cost of retrofitting when the mobility needs of homeowners change, and will only enhance the aesthetics of these new homes.
As the Sunshine State continues to push towards its renewable energy targets, Queensland homes will emit lower emissions thanks to the changes to energy efficiency.
These changes, to be implemented from May 1, 2024, mean new builds in Queensland will be built to energy efficiency standards that ensure homes are warmer in winter and cooler in summer, reducing energy bills by about $185 a year.
The Australian Building Codes Board expects the Modern Homes standards will collectively add just 1-2 per cent to the cost of building new homes, with costs reducing over time as industry adjust to the changes.
Households could earn back this cost over the lifetime of a home through savings on energy bills, while independent research, cited by the CSIRO claims 7 star energy efficiency will increase a home’s sale price by almost 10%.
Minister for Energy and Public Works, Mick de Brenni:
“These Modern Homes standards mean positive outcomes for Queenslanders, and will make their homes more comfortable and cheaper to run for years to come.
“We have listened to advocates, industry and the community and our phased implementation plan balances the needs of industry to transition, alongside the community’s expectations that we adopt these improved standards.
“Queensland is already well placed to meet the new 7-star energy-efficiency requirements –with the average home across the state already reaching 6.5 stars energy efficiency.
“With the availability of a 1-star credit for outdoor living areas, most builders won’t have any problems meeting the new requirements, and with the timeframe for compliance of energy efficiency requirements now May 1, 2024, we are allowing additional time to train in the new tools.
“We know over a third of Queensland homes already have rooftop solar to minimise their household energy consumption and save on energy bills, and Queensland has a natural advantage for solar energy, with new homeowners able to benefit from choosing rooftop solar with these building requirements.
“We expect even more savings for Queensland households, with an estimated $185 off electricity bills each year, thanks to energy efficient measures put in place as part of the NCC.”
Quote attributable to Australian Building Codes Board CEO, Gary Rake:
“It’s been over 10 years since the last residential energy-efficiency update to the National Construction Code in 2010.
“And it’s been over 10 years since the industry voluntarily promised to introduce accessibility standards with new homes.
“The homes we’re building now are supposed to be good for 50 years – we need to think about the requirements of the next two and three generations.
“Every month we delay locks people into outcomes that are below the standard they should be.”
