People building new homes on the Central Coast could be looking at cheaper energy bills in the future, with the announcement of a new policy to help NSW reach net zero emission targets and deliver more energy-efficient homes.
Treasurer and Minister for Energy, Matt Kean, said this new Sustainable Buildings State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) sets new standards and is expected to reduce household energy bills, and ensure homes are naturally cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
“These new standards will drive more energy-efficient homes with better design, better insulation and more sunlight,” Kean said.
He said owners of new Central Coast homes could see energy savings of as much as $970 a year.
“NSW is also raising the bar with this first-of-its-kind policy in energy efficiency and sustainability for new offices and hotels,” Kean said.
“These updated standards will keep operating costs down for owners and tenants, and give them the assurance they got what they paid for.
“The policy will enable the NSW Government to collect critical data about building performance and greenhouse gas emissions – this will inform future benchmarks and ensure NSW keeps pace with the national trajectory for low-energy buildings.”
Minister for Planning and Minister for Homes, Anthony Roberts said the new SEPP sets standards for energy, water and thermal performance in new homes, and establishes provisions to create more sustainable non-residential buildings.
“We are progressing updates to our online Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) tool and introducing sustainability requirements for new commercial buildings,” Roberts said.
“We need to ensure the places we live, work and stay in are more comfortable – all while we save people money on their power bills and contribute to our net zero target.”
Roberts said the new index within BASIX would measure the greenhouse gas emissions produced in manufacturing residential building materials.
“It also introduces new energy and water standards for large commercial buildings, and requires these developments to demonstrate they are net-zero ready,” he said.
“We want to drive down emissions, saving around 260,000 tonnes a year of CO2 and helping reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The new SEPP includes updating BASIX standards for new residential buildings, including: an increase of the thermal performance standard from an average of 5.5-6 stars to 7 stars Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) rating; and an increase of between 7 and 11% in greenhouse gas reduction.
While welcoming the initiative, the Nature Conservation Council says more needs to be done to make existing homes more energy efficient.
“The NSW Government’s new Building Sustainability SEPP is a step in the right direction for standards for new homes, but much more needs to be done in relation to existing homes,” Council CEO, Jacqui Mumford, said.
“Increasing the NatHERS standard to seven stars is a very welcome improvement – this will significantly reduce the energy people have to use to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
“However, the new planning policy does not address the much bigger problem of older, energy hungry homes.
“Some older homes are energy sinks because they take so much power to make them liveable.
“The government needs to develop policies to retrofit older homes so everyone in NSW can live in a home that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to keep comfortable.”
For more information, visit: www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sustainable-buildings-sepp
Terry Collins