New updates on the BASIX & NCC Condensation

These reforms represent significant changes in how future homes, apartments, and commercial buildings will be designed and constructed. But how will these changes affect you as a homeowner?

Well, the new BASIX requirements include:

• Raising the thermal rating for the building envelope to a minimum of 7 stars.
• Implementing stricter energy targets for essential building services (e.g., hot water, air conditioning, cooking equipment, lighting, etc.).
• Introducing new criteria for measuring and reporting the embodied carbon in the materials used to construct primary building components through a new section of the BASIX tools.
• The BASIX tools have been integrated into the NSW Planning Portal, rendering the old portal obsolete.

Simply put, these changes mean your home will require better insulation to achieve higher energy efficiency. There will also be stricter standards for energy consumption in various systems, such as hot water, air conditioning, and lighting. Furthermore, new regulations will help measure and report carbon emissions from construction materials used in building components. You can access this information through a new section of the BASIX tools now located in the NSW Planning Portal.

If you're concerned about making changes quickly, there's good news! The BASIX changes under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Sustainable Buildings SEPP) will come with specific transitional arrangements. This means that eligible home projects with contracts signed before October 1 of this year can still apply the old standards through the NSW Planning Portal.