Page 16 - Climate Control News Magazine Feb 2019

COAG defers energy
improvements
16
under building code
IT WAS A DISAPPOINTING END TO 2018 WHEN THE COUNCIL
OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS (COAG) ENERGY COUNCIL DEFERRED A CRITICAL DECISION TO INCREASE ENERGY EFFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS WITHIN THE NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CODE (NCC).
“HALF OF THE BUILDINGS THAT WILL BE STANDING IN 2050 ARE YET TO BE BUILT AND SETTING STANDARDS FOR THEIR CONSTRUCTION NOW IS THE CHEAPEST AND EASIEST MEANS OF CUTTING EMISSIONS.”
– GBCA CEO, ROMILLY MADEW.
locking in an additional $720 million of electric- ity network investments and 9 million tonnes of emissions by 2030.”
Professor Maher said that a COAG-level com- mitment to increase efficiency in the NCC would provide certainty for the construction industry.
“If developers and manufacturers know how the Code requirements will evolve over the next 15 years, this will provide the regulatory certain- ty industry needs to plan and invest in new tech- nologies, delivering higher building energy per- formance at lower cost,” he said.
The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) CEO, Romilly Madew, said the government cannot afford to delay regulatory and structural changes.
“It is vitally important that increases in energy efficiency requirements within the NCC pro- gress with urgency,” she said.
“Buildings currently consume more than half Australia’s electricity and most have lifespans of between 50 and 100 years.
“That’s why we need change now to support the transition to a lower emission future and en- sure businesses of all sizes are able to plan for the long-term through a more certain regulatory en- vironment.
“In an increasingly challenging political envi- ronment, the opportunities for governments to deliver real action on energy prices, security and emissions reduction through our built environ- ment are enormous, cost-effective, and support- ed by industry and the community,” Madew said.
“Half of the buildings that will be standing in 2050 are yet to be built and setting standards for their construction now is the cheapest and easi- est means of cutting emissions.”
ABOVE LEFT: ASBEC president,
Professor Ken Maher
ABOVE RIGHT: GBCA CEO, Romilly Madew
IT MEANS BUILDINGS will continue be- ing built to outdated standards, which in the case of housing haven’t been updated in almost a decade.
Despite another lost opportunity, in- dustry is working hard to create its net zero vi- sion by 2030.
In a statement, the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) described the de- ferred decision as a missed opportunity to improve the energy performance of Australian buildings.
ASBEC president, Professor Ken Maher, said it could lock in higher energy bills for households and businesses, increase stress on the electricity network and result in greenhouse gas emissions
that would otherwise have been avoided. He said ASBEC’s Built to Perform report, pro- duced in partnership with ClimateWorks Aus- tralia, showed that a forward pathway for strong- er energy standards in the NCC could reduce household energy bills by up to $900 each year, contributing to up to $29 billion in reduced en- ergy bills and 78 million tonnes of cumulative
emissions savings across the economy by 2050. “Delays in improving minimum energy perfor- mance standards for new buildings can lock in
decades of avoidable energy bills,” Maher said. “A three-year delay of strengthened require- ments to Australia’s Building Code could lead to $2.6 billion in wasted energy expenditure, while
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