Home › Australia

Australia

Current Codes

Building Code of Australia (2009 Amendment)
Country Specific Mandatory
Friday, May 1, 2009
Expand All

Additional Code Information

Code Adoption & Change Process
Current Plans and Strategies: 

States and Territories choose how to enforce, or if to enforce countrywide codes.

History: 

The 1990 Building Codes of Australia (BCA-90) were the country's initial building codes, and contained technical requirements for  a variety of building classes.  Since then, building codes in Australia have become performance based and separated by two volumes: volume one being commercial buildings, and volume two being domestic buildings.  The first performance based codes were finalized in 1996, BCA-96; essentially a list of mandated, nationwide codes.  The system gave builders the option to follow "deemed-to-satisfy provisions", which outlined materials and designs guaranteed to meet designated standards, or use "alternate solutions", which enabled builders to create their own designs, as long as builder's could prove designs  met performance requirements set forth by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).  The latter option is recommended by the ABCB, as it allows for greater innovation and technological advances in building and energy efficiency. Since then, greater energy efficient practices in buildings have been incorporated into building codes.  In 2000, a two pronged approach for reaching greater energy efficiency was created through a best practices for industry and new minimum building requirements.  2003 and 2005 marked new residential housing and multi-residential/commercial building codes, respectively, both of which were later updated in 2006. Such provisions were detailed, and focused on energy efficiency in HVAC systems, glazing surfaces, lighting, insulation,  building fabrics (walls, floors, and roofs), and air circulation.  To meet standards set forth by the Kyoto Protocol, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has recently requested the ABCB increase 2006 BCA energy efficiency provisions through the creation of the 2009 BCA.  2010 building code provisions, soon to be enforced, will require  a 6 star energy rating under the Nation House Energy Rating Scheme (or equivalent) for new residential buildings (BCA-06 required a 5 star energy rating), as well as a significant increase in energy efficiency requirements for commercial buildings.

Economic Indicators
Government Type: 

federal parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Climate Zone: 

generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north

Population: 

21,262,641 (July 2009 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 

4.2% (2008 est.)

Projected Job Growth: 

Western Australia:2.2%, New South Whales: 1.8%, Victoria: 1.7%, Queensland and Western Australia: Predicted to remain strong (data from Melbourne Institute) (Population Dispersed as Follows: 32.5% in New South Whales, 24.8% in Victoria, 20% in Queensland, and 10.2% in Western Australia - Projected Job Growth data therefore covers 87.5% of the country's population)

Construction Activity: 

Total Households: 7,596,183
o Separate House: 5,685,387 (74.85%)
o Flat, Unit, or Apartment: 1,076,315 (14.17%)
o Not Stated: 4,594 (0.06%)
o Semi-Detached House: 702,550 (9.25%)
o Other Dwellings: 127,337 (1.68%)

Source: 2006 Census

Projected Construction Rate: 

Building permits granted have risen 5.1% from March 2009 to April 2009 (Australian Bureau of Statistics), although it should be noted that the government plans to experience a slowing of fiscal growth in 2009

GDP Per Capita: 

$38,100 (2008 est.)

Projected GDP Growth: 

2.3% (2008 est.)

Industrial Production Growth: 

3% (2008 est.)

Primary Exports: 

coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment

Primary Imports: 

machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products

Local Resources: 

bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
note: Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal accounting for 29% of global coal exports

Energy Data
Primary Energy Source: 

Relies mainly on coal for energy generation, but maintains a growing reliance on petroleum.

Energy Consumption: 

5.61 Quadrillion BTU (2006)

Energy Snapshot: 

Australia is rich in natural resources with significant petroleum, natural gas and coal reserves. Australia’s energy consumption is dominated by coal, which fuels most of the country’s power generation. Petroleum accounts for a large share of energy consumption, but due to declining output, Australia is facing a growing dependence on petroleum imports. Over the past two decades, Australia has steadily consumed increasing amounts of natural gas, which is likely to continue over the medium term.

Australia is one of the few countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that is a significant net energy exporter. Australia is the world’s largest coal exporter and is the fifth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Australia’s prospects for expanding energy exports in the future are promising as Asian demand for both coal and LNG rises. However, Australia can expect increasing export competition from China (coal) and Indonesia (coal and LNG).

Source: EIA

Renewable Trends: 

In July 2005, the Australian government formed the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). The AER is responsible for economic regulation in Australian energy markets. In addition, the AER promotes investment in the energy sector to ensure supply security, while monitoring prices faced by end users. In 2006, Australia’s 13 government bodies transferred energy regulation responsibility to the AER. The AER is seeking $23 billion in infrastructure investments over the next 15 years.
Because energy commodities are a major source of export earnings in Australia, development of these resources in a sustainable manner is a primary policy goal of the government. Improving end-use efficiency in various economic sectors remains a key element of Australia’s sustainable energy policy, as does the utilization of renewable energy resources. Australia’s Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) mandates that 9.5 Bkwh of total electricity generation come from renewable sources by 2010.

Source: EIA

Climate Concerns
CO2 Emissions: 

417.06 MMT CO2 (2006)

Other Facts: 

In 2004, Australia accounted for 1.4 percent of the world’s total energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Although coal constitutes a major part of Australia’s energy mix, increasing urban air pollution levels are more a consequence of automobile usage than coal consumption.

Source: EIA

Green Building Initiatives

Local Revision and Green Codes:
Voluntary Building Industry Initiatives Programme, 2006
National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS), 2005

National Environmental Milestones and Strategies:
National Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan 2004-2007
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (Cap-and-trade) - in development
National Framework for Energy Efficiency (State Two) - launched in 2008

Building Sector Economic Incentives:
Green Loans Program, 2009

Mandatory, Up-to-Date Building Energy Code:
2009 Building Code of Australia
The 2009 BCA is mandatory for all new buildings in Australia, and contains a detailed set of energy efficiency requirements.

Strengthening National Policies:
National Framework for Energy Efficiency
The National Framework for Energy Efficiency is Australia's national plan to reduce energy consumption through codes, standards, and programs and outlines possibilities and goals.

Economic Incentives for Efficiency:
Green Loans
Interest free loans of up to $10,000 to make changes recommended by the Home Sustainability Assessments.

Green Building Rating System:
NABERS
A performance based rating system that notifies homeowners and tennants of the efficient practices in their home or office.

Based on the current status of building energy codes and policies, as well as potential for energy efficiency, BCAP recommends the following actions.  Also noted are states or countries that successfully employ the suggested action, and may be used as a model.  These suggestions are meant only to show opportunities for energy efficiency.  Please contact BCAP for more information or assistance.

Establish a Code Change and Update Process
Australia already has a current building energy code, as well as national programs in place to help support the code and assist residents and tennants with energy efficiency.  The next step for the ABCB is to develop an update and change cycle to the BCA.  This will systematically ensure that the code stays current and incorporates the most recent advancements in building science.

Model State:
Florida
Florida has a regulatory code update process, managed by the Florida Building Comission (FBC).  Every three years the FBC updates the code in accordance with state guidelines.

Improve Compliance
Austraila may also want to consider looking into different compliance methods of their code.  Conducting compliance surveys and adopting different compliance and enforcement models will help ensure that builders follow the code in place.  This will lead to greater energy savings and lower carbon dioxide emissions, and help Australia achieve the goals set out in its energy plan.

For More Information:
Enforcement Models Research Topic Area
The Enforcement Models Research Topic Area provides resources for code enforcement, as well as discussions and connections to other concerned users.
 

X
You may login with either your assigned username or your e-mail address.
The password field is case sensitive.
Loading