Victoria has delayed the adoption of new requirements which are set to be introduced under the latest version of the National Construction Code (NCC).

And builders in Queensland are pushing for a delay to adoption of the rules in that state.

Last week, the Victorian Planning Minister confirmed that state would extend the timeframes for the mandatory adoption of new requirements relating to housing energy efficiency, condensation management and liveable housing design which are being introduced under the 2022 update of the National Construction Code (NCC 2022).

Previously, the requirements were scheduled to become mandatory from 1 October 2023.

However, they will now become mandatory from 1 May 2024.

Practitioners will be able to continue to use the relevant provisions in NCC 2019 until the end of the transition period in May.

As previously announced, requirements for new lead-free plumbing products will commence on 1 May 2026.

Included as part of NCC 2022, the new requirements aim to improve the liveability, energy performance and comfort of new homes which are being constructed across Australia.

Under the liveable housing provisions, all new homes will need to meet the equivalent of Silver level standards under the LHA Design Guidelines published by Liveable Housing Australia.

To meet these requirements, new home designs will need to include reduced steps where possible, more bathroom space, wider doorways and provision for future adaptions such as grabrails.

These changes aim to ensure that newly constructed homes are suitable for all, including: young families with children, seniors, people with injuries and people with disabilities.

Meanwhile, the energy efficiency requirements will raise the minimum standard of thermal performance that new homes are required to meet from 6 stars to 7 stars under the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS).

The Code will apply a new whole-of-home annual energy use budget which needs to be met by new home equipment such as heating and cooling equipment, hot water systems, lighting and swimming pool and spa pumps.

Finally, changes to the condensation management provisions aim to improve the condensation management of homes to ensure that increasingly airtight homes do not develop problems with condensation and mould.

However, not all states and territories will be adopting all measures.

Neither New South Wales nor Western Australia, for example, are intending to adopt the new liveable housing design requirements.

Meanwhile, Tasmania has not adopted the new housing energy efficiency requirements.

Furthermore, adoption dates vary across states and territories (see link above). South Australia, for example, is delaying its adoption of each of the aforementioned provisions until 1 October 2024.

The moves to delay the aforementioned provisions in Victoria follow the government’s announcement last month that it was thinking about providing an extended transition for new the new requirements, which were previously set to commence in October.

The extension has been given in light of significant cost and capacity challenges which the building industry is currently experiencing.

It aims to provide builders with more time to prepare for the changes.

Following the moves in Victoria, builders in Queensland are pushing for a delay in adopting the new provisions in that state.

As things stand, Queensland is set to require the adoption of the new provisions in October.

In a statement, Maste Builders Queensland CEO Paul Bidwell said that an extended adoption timeframe would enable builders to more effectively plan for practical solutions to implement the requirements in a cost-effective manner.

An extended timeframe would also allow time for the software which is most often used by energy assessors to calculate energy performance to be updated and released.

This is important as Bidwell says that the current software does not yet incorporate the latest Code changes.

Until this happens, he says that some builders will not be able to determine whether or not their designs meet the new requirements or need further changes.

Builders have also not been able to determine the likely magnitude of any cost increases for homeowners which may accrue as a result of the changes, Bidwell adds.

 

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