5 Star building code pays off in Victoria
22/May/2007
The Insulation Council of Australia & New Zealand (ICANZ) today welcomed the Victorian Government's public release of the report 'Options to reduce greenhouse emissions from new homes in Victoria through the building approval process' produced for the government by George Wilkenfeld and Associates.
Dennis D'Arcy, ICANZ President, said the report confirms the significant environmental and economic benefits that have flowed to new home buyers in Victoria since the introduction of 5 Star energy efficient building regulations.
"The Victorian Government has led the nation in pioneering 5 Star building regulations for new homes. The report found that these homes are 20 percent more energy efficient than they would have been without the 5 Star regulations," Mr D'Arcy said.
In releasing the report John Thwaites, Victorian Minister for Climate Change and Planning, announced that his government "will now work with industry and stakeholders to improve the system and build on the environmental gains already achieved", with new building regulations expected to be in place from 2009.
Mr D'Arcy said that he looks forward to working with the government as it seeks to make Victorian buildings even more energy efficient.
"Overseas examples show there is still more that can be done to improve the building envelope and fabric. For example, insulation R-values required under 5-Star are less than half those required in the USA for similar climate zones. We look forward to assisting Victoria to lead the way in this area," Mr D'Arcy said.
"As a nation we currently have among the least energy efficient homes in the industrialised world," he said.
Mr D'Arcy said that in considering improvements to the existing 5 Star building regulations consideration should be given to the wider social and economic benefits that improved energy efficiency of the building envelope can deliver to the community.
"Substantive overseas research shows that well insulated houses can significantly improve the health of the occupants, which has economic benefit such as improved productivity and reduced pressure on public health systems."
Mr D'Arcy also said that governments around Australia needed to focus on improving the inequity of energy inefficient older homes.
"Today's energy efficiency building regulations only apply to new work, yet according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics about 40 percent of Australian homes have no ceiling insulation at all. Many of these are older homes, occupied by pensioners or tenants who are least able to afford high energy bills," he said."
