A new tool that rates the environmental features of multi-unit residential buildings will help reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions while delivering health benefits and financial savings for occupants, said the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).
Released yesterday, the new green rating tool will help building owners and developers minimise the environmental impacts of their developments and receive recognition for more environmentally sustainable design, Romilly Madew, CEO of the GBCA, said.
The release comes in the wake of the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) move towards increasing the energy efficiency requirements of the Australian Building Code and moving to a minimum six star energy efficiency ratings for all new Australian homes.
“Residential buildings in Australia are responsible for 13 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, and Australia’s level of emissions per home is one of the highest in the world,” Madew said. “The new Green Star – Multi Unit Residential v1 rating tool will help to reduce our emissions and support new stringent energy efficiency requirements in the Building Code of Australia.”
Specific to the residential sector, the tool assesses the energy and water efficiency of appliances, control of lights and air conditioning in unoccupied spaces, universal design and the provision of communal facilities. While the green rating tools available for offices incorporate energy modelling consistent with the NABERS Energy tool, equivalent modelling did not exist for the multi-unit residential sector, so the residential tool also includes a customised energy calculator.
The Energy ‘Conditional Requirement’ in the Green Star – Multi Unit Residential v1 rating tool is to be a uniform 10 per cent above the minimum thermal performance requirements established by regulation in each state. This approach acknowledges the current regulated minimums across the country. It also allows state jurisdictions to amend their regulations and adjust their benchmarks, with the Green Star benchmark changing accordingly. This approach uses existing documentation and energy modelling in all jurisdictions other than the Northern Territory, where there are no current minimum thermal performance requirements
“The tool will also provide state and local governments with a framework for planning guidelines and development incentives,” Madew said.
“While the Green Building Council of Australia does not advocate Green Star as a mandatory regulation tool, it does encourage [it] as a support mechanism for incentives, and the GBCA is currently in discussion with a number of authorities on how to apply the Green Star – Multi Unit Residential v1 rating tool to the allocation of bonus floor areas, fast assessment of development applications and cash incentives for green developments. The Green Star – Multi Unit Residential v1 rating tool is freely available for download from the GBCA website, as well as for independent third party accredited assessment.
For more information, visit the GBCA website: www.gbca.org.au
