Page 884 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 20 March 2019
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taken steps to address this for buildings using energy ratings to comply. The 2019 building code includes additional heating and cooling load limits in addition to the minimum rating. That means that, as well as meeting an overall efficiency rating, the dwelling will not comply unless it is at or below a maximum energy standard for heating and a maximum energy standard for cooling. This directly addresses the problem of buildings designed to achieve high ratings in Canberra by performing well in winter but not so well in summer.
The 2019 code also includes substantial increases in the energy efficiency standards for common areas of multi-residential buildings. The new provisions start on 1 May this year, with a transition period for complying. This is only a first step. In April last year the building ministers forum considered new energy efficiency measures for residential buildings to be incorporated in the next code, to be released in 2022. This work will include updates to climate data, potentially increasing both winter and summer standards.
However, we are not waiting for this work to look at what else we may need to do; we are already assessing the 2019 code standards for suitability in both the current and projected future climate in the ACT. We may consider changes before the next national update. We are reviewing the existing energy efficiency rating system used for disclosure at the time of sale and rent and also ways to improve the efficiency of rental housing.
Minister Gentleman will speak on the complementary work in the planning portfolio currently underway. That work is not to set alternative buildings standards; rather, it is to put in place design and siting requirements for building that supports cross-ventilation, passive solar design and appropriate seasonal shading.
While good planning and building standards are important, they are only part of managing people’s health and safety in extreme weather. Building standards cannot guarantee houses will be at the ideal temperature every day of the year. While we can help reduce the effect of heatwaves in buildings to make them more manageable, there may be days when people will have to cope with being warmer than they would otherwise like, to ensure that they are still warm through our long winter months. Building occupants also need to take steps to make sure their building operates as intended, by closing curtains, operating shading and opening and closing windows when appropriate.
ACT Health and the Emergency Services Agency provide great advice on how to keep healthy and safe in extreme weather, including staying hydrated and planning your day around the heat. As a community it is important that we check on others, including people who may be isolated, the elderly, young children and babies, pregnant women and those who have medical conditions. All of these things together will help us to be more resilient and better respond to hot and extreme weather.
As I indicated, I have a number of amendments to Ms Le Couteur’s motion. I believe they help better clarify the interplay between the national construction codes and their updates for 2019, as well as how minimum energy ratings form part of the assessment.
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