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Government releases public discussion paper for National Building Energy Framework

The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency has released a public discussion paper for the National Building Standard Setting, Assessment and Rating Framework.  The Framework will no doubt impact on future uniform policies and initiatives on how buildings are assessed and rated for energy efficiency to improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings and may, over time, be capable of being extended to cover broader sustainability issues such as the level of greenhouse gas emissions generated and water performance by homes and commercial/residential buildings.

The Framework intends to:

• set increasingly strong minimum performance standards over time for new buildings and major renovations, with standards to be reviewed and increased periodically;
• cover all classes of residential and commercial buildings;
• apply to new and existing buildings;
• cover the building envelope including roof, walls, doors and windows as well as the energy efficiency of key building services;
• aim to bring together assessment and rating tools for existing and new buildings;
• include common measurement and reporting to help in setting building standards and assessing building performance;
• allow for the use of rating tools developed by the market, provided they are accurate, transparent and user friendly;
• encourage innovation in meeting defined performance standards;
• continue to communicate energy efficiency improvements using star ratings; and
• facilitate effective monitoring and compliance.

Measures under the Framework will be implemented through the Building Code of Australia where they affect new buildings work.

An Australian, state and territory government working group has been established to lead the development of the framework and consult with stakeholders. An industry consultative forum has been established to facilitate targeted consultation with peak industry bodies. An expert reference group has also been established to provide technical feedback on options being considered for the Framework.

The framework is expected to be agreed by governments by the end of 2010.  The Senior Officials Group on Energy Efficiency (SOG-EE) is calling for feedback on its Discussion Paper and/or on the Framework generally by 5pm Monday 7 May 2010. Submission forms may be downloaded via this link .