Page 1559 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 17 May 1994
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The ACT Government has made considerable advances in the area of energy efficient housing, particularly with the publication in 1993 of a booklet on energy efficient housing. This followed the release in 1992 of draft energy guidelines which will form part of the Territory Plan. The Territory Plan requires that energy audits be conducted for residential subdivisions of over 30 blocks. The ACT Territory Plan requires that new houses constructed from 1 July 1995 meet a minimum energy rating. Where a four-star rating is not achieved against the prescribed energy rating system for residential buildings, the Planning Authority will refuse the design and siting application unless special circumstances apply. It is intended that the national house energy rating scheme, or HERS, will become the prescribed energy rating system.
In the meantime, the ACT Planning Authority has been working with the Housing Industry Association to refine the energy rating scheme included in the draft energy guidelines and to ensure that they are applicable to multi-unit developments. The participation of the Housing Industry Association in the development of the energy rating system has enabled information about the benefits of energy efficient housing to be passed on to builders and home buyers. The ACT Electricity and Water energy efficient home at Banks has attracted a high level of interest from the public, and a further three energy efficient houses will be open for display in Gungahlin. These three houses will be more innovative in design, and will be occupied by three different home buyer groups.
All new ACT Housing Trust dwellings are now being designed to be energy efficient, in accordance with the trust's public housing standards and the draft energy guidelines. The ACT Housing Trust has developed a "building for buyers" scheme to provide affordable energy efficient houses for borrowers who are eligible for Commissioner for Housing loans. The ACT Housing Trust is committed to upgrading heating equipment in its properties as part of its cyclical maintenance and upgrade programs. For example, inefficient oil heaters are being replaced by electrical and/or gas heating, thus reducing emissions.
The ACT Building Code provides for the mandatory insulation of walls and inaccessible ceiling areas of all new houses in the ACT. This provision came into force in December 1992. Information is available to existing home owners on the prescribed energy rating system in order that they can make economic assessments of the benefits in upgrading to achieve a higher star rating and consequently an improved home value. The promotion by ACT Electricity and Water of energy efficient fluorescent lamps with industry rebates has assisted in gaining some market penetration and price reduction. However, the recommendation to fund lamp replacement costs recovered through electricity tariffs would require higher overhead costs, which would impact on other tariff customers.
In the area of commercial buildings, the ACT Planning Authority has been participating in the development of a national commercial building energy code. This project is being undertaken by the energy management task force of the Australian and New Zealand Minerals and Energy Council pursuant to a commitment in the national greenhouse response strategy. This project has a high degree of involvement from industry and other interested groups. The Territory Plan requires the preparation of energy management plans for buildings over 2,000 square metres, with the exception of warehouses which are not intended to have heating or cooling systems. The ACT Government has shown the
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