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Building Sustainability
Sustainability is included as an objective in the ABCB Intergovernmental Agreement in addition to the other objectives of health, safety and amenity. The BCA identifies reduction of greenhouse gas emissions under the sustainability objective, which is achieved primarily through the efficient use of energy.
The ABCB, together with the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, and the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency are investigating and, if deemed appropriate, developing cost effective and nationally consistent initiatives that are the minimum necessary to achieve building sustainability objectives efficiently.
Energy efficiency provisions are now included in the BCA for all buildings. Click here for more information on energy efficiency. These provisions are consistent with the National Strategy on Energy Efficiency (NSEE) which was endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments in July 2009 to accelerate action on energy efficiency and assist Australia's transition to a low carbon economy. The NSEE also sets out the key elements of a new national building energy assessment, rating and standards framework that jurisdictions have committed to developing. In addition, for Class 1 buildings, the BCA also includes provisions for water heaters which obtain energy from a source that is renewable or has a low greenhouse gas intensity.
The DEWHA have completed scoping studies to investigate measures for improving the water efficiency of buildings and to investigate measures for improving the environmental sustainability of building materials.
When considering the options discussed in these scoping studies, the provisions of the ABCB Intergovernmental Agreement will be followed, including the Principles and Guidelines for National Standard Setting and Regulatory Action by Ministerial Councils and Standard-Setting Bodies
Document Links
http://www.environment.gov.au/sustainability/government/publications/pubs/water-efficiency-guide.pdf
http://www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2009-07-02/docs/Energy_efficiency_measures_table.pdf