Energy Efficient Housing

The State Government is committed to improving the energy efficiency of homes in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimise energy consumption.

Homes that incorporate sound environmental design principals — like wall and ceiling insulation, northerly orientation (to gain maximum advantage from solar energy) and internal and external shading of windows and walls in summer — have the potential to save residents money on their heating and cooling bills.

Homes with these features also produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than poorly designed homes and provide comfortable conditions throughout the year with less supplementary heating and cooling. Energy efficient options cost very little to implement at the design and construction stage, yet they offer huge long-term benefits both to the homeowner and the environment.

New regulatory requirements: Sustainable Housing

Increased energy efficiency requirements for all new dwellings built in South Australia came into effect from Monday 1 May 2006.

The new ‘5-star’ energy efficiency requirement – which also applies to alterations or additions to existing homes – replaces the previous 4-star energy efficiency requirement which had been in place since 2003.

What are the major changes from 4 stars to 5 stars?

  • An increased level of insulation required in walls, roofs and suspended floors 
  • More comprehensive requirements placed on glazing.

How can new homes and extensions comply?

There are two ways of achieving compliance with the 5 star requirements:

  • Designing and constructing in accordance with new provisions in either the Building Code of Australia or the SA Housing Code (see SA Housing Code Amendment 16 (May 2008) - Appendix H [PDF 283.1 KB])
  • Having assessment by an approved computer-based energy efficiency rating program (such as FirstRate or NatHERS) with the result a 5 star rating or better.

House energy rating assessments can be conducted by registered House Energy Rating Assessors. A Register of House Energy Assessors is available on this site. 

The prescriptive measures contained in the Building Code include different levels of insulation for various building elements (walls, floor and roofs) for different climate zones (SA has three different climate zones - see our Climate Zones page), and restrictions on the amount and type of glazing in an external wall. The area of glass is limited based on the amount of shading provided and the orientation of the wall. A house with no eaves and no additional shading to the windows is required to have less glazed area than a house with eaves.

Good shading of windows (such as eave overhangs) and good orientation of the house (so that the main windows to living areas are facing due north) will enable the new requirements to be met for minimal cost (a few hundred dollars for more efficient insulation).

Good design, including thoughtful consideration of the orientation of the home, will help meet the 5 star efficiency requirements and save long-term energy-use costs.

The increased energy efficiency requirements for housing - along with new energy efficiency requirements for commercial buildings set to come into effect in August - will help in meeting Target 3.14 of South Australia's Strategic Plan to increase energy efficiency in dwellings by 10 percent within 10 years.

Who will check that new homes and extensions comply?

Under the Development Act, development approval is required from the council for all building work to ensure it complies with the BCA or the SAHC. Before this approval can be issued, either the council or a private certifier must assess the design of new homes and extensions against the BCA or the SAHC. This assessment includes checking the design for compliance with the 5-star energy efficiency requirements.

Can house energy ratings be calculated with the use of heavy drapes and pelmets in order to achieve the 5-star energy efficiency requirements?

The Code of Practice for House Energy Rating Assessors requires assessors to use 'regulatory' mode for assessments, and it is stated in the FirstRate4 user manual that the use of heavy drapes and pelmets should only be used in 'exceptional circumstances'. In order to use this provision, the circumstances must be exceptional such as where there is absolute certainty that heavy drapes and pelmets are actually giong to be installed (i.e. they have already been purchased).

Attaining a star rating with the use of heavy drapes and pelmets cannot be used for compliance with the Building Rules if there is any doubt about the installation taking place.

It is expected that BCA 2009 will remove reference to the Protocol for House Energy Rating Software Version 2005.1, meaning that only second generation software tools such as FirstRate5, BERSPro and AccuRate will be valid assessment programs. FirstRate5 and AccuRate only allow for the use of Holland Blinds on glazing to be included as part of the building shell.

Further Information

Advisory notices