Rating schemes
There are numerous environment rating schemes for buildings across Australia, that have been developed by local, state and federal governments. Some are mandatory, others are voluntary. Environmentally friendly buildings are becoming increasingly popular as the community demands better use of scarce resources such as water, and more sustainable living practices, such as reducing greenhouse gases and pressure on wood resources. In addition, there have been large advances recently in the technologies available to the community to build more environmentally friendly houses.
The main standards that are currently being focused on are in the areas of greenhouse gas abatement and water use efficiency and reuse. Numerous new products are now available and standards are being set up to meet community expectations.
Residential
Energy Smart Homes program
The Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) in NSW has created an Energy Smart Homes program to help local government implement the states Energy Smart Homes Policy. This is a model energy efficient housing policy that councils can voluntarily adopt to reduce the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions generated by local residents. It does this by ensuring that minimum energy performance requirements are met for all new residential developments.
Energy requirements in building codes
These codes cover energy requirements in new buildings and aim to achieve a 3.5-4 star energy efficiency. These were developed by the Australian Building Codes Board (www.abcb.gov.au/) in 2003 and are due for revision in 2006.
Thermal performance
These systems rate the thermal performance of building envelopes. Benchmarks are used to provide a series of star ratings. CSIRO developed simulation models are used for assessment.
- AccuRate (AccuRate is the update for NatHERS)
- FirstRate
- Building Energy Rating Scheme (BERS)
National Australian Built Environment Rating Scheme (NABERS)
NABERS is aimed at existing buildings and covers a range of environmental issues, such as greenhouse, water, stormwater, transport, landscape diversity, waste and toxic materials. It measures actual performance against set benchmarks and was developed by the Australian Government.
Building Sustainability Index (BASIX)
BASIX is a NSW Government rating scheme that covers a broad range of issues, including social issues such as affordability and access. Only the water and energy requirements will be mandated in the short term. NatHERS or similar star ratings much be complied with and fixed equipment items such as lighting and appliances must comply. This is compulsory in Sydney and is being rolled out across NSW.
Local government schemes
Some councils or groups of councils (such as ROCs - Regional Organisation of Councils) have introduced their own ratings schemes. For example, the South East Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils has developed a draft sustainable housing building code (PDF). This code aims to be a model code that councils can choose to adopt. It compliments the Australian Building Codes proposal and the ROC hopes that the Code will be standard across jurisdictions.
Non residential
Green Star
Green Star rating system covers a wide range of environmental issues, such as land use, pollution, water, transport and energy. Systems to use during design and after construction have been released, with others still being developed.
Australian Building Greenhouse Rating Scheme
Australian Building Greenhouse Rating Scheme (ABGRS) rates the greenhouse performance of new and existing office buildings against benchmarks. Separate ratings can apply to tenancies, core buildings or whole buildings. Actual performance must be demonstrated once the building is operating.
