The National Construction Code should be amended to require mandatory electrification for all new buildings by 2025, according to a joint report from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and the Property Council of Australia (PCA).
In a strategy document entitled “Every Building Counts” released on Thursday, the two industry groups also urged the government to devise a long-term strategy for zero-carbon ready buildings in the building code underpinned by a national framework for measuring embodied carbon.
The “Energy efficiency first” principle should be embedded in the National Electricity Objective and other relevant legislation and policies, and NABERS should be expanded to cover all types of buildings along with a single national rating for home energy performance, the document also stated.
The industry bodies said governments should walk the walk by committing to zero-carbon buildings in all new buildings that they own or lease by 2030.
GBCA chief executive Davina Rooney pointed out that many other countries have national home rating schemes which operate similar to those for appliances and that this would allow buyers and renters to compare the sustainability performance of homes before they move in.
“Locally, we’re living with the impacts of climate change and a cost-of-living crisis, while healthy, affordable, energy efficient homes are increasingly out of reach for everyday Australians,” Rooney said in a statement.
Having a single consistent national rating would allow homeowners and renters to be aware of the energy costs of a particular home, which is especially important in the colder months, PCA chief executive Mike Zorbas said.
The report emphasises policy to support a Just Transition to ensure that all groups in society benefit equitably from energy efficiency and thermal comfort improvements made to properties.
If the entire built environment were electrified, it would produce energy savings to the tune of $49 billion between next year and 2050, and avoid 199 mega tonnes of CO2-e emissions, the strategy stated. This would require transitioning 85 per cent of homes off gas between now and 2040 and require 5000 electric hot water systems to be installed in homes every week.
The strategy also advocated for an incentive system to encourage developers to construct high performance buildings and called for reforms to the electricity market to better enable EVs to be embedded into urban electricity networks.
Every Building Counts will be followed by policy action plans tailored to state, territory and local governments in the coming months.