Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency has provided the following answer to the honourable senator’s question:

(1) The rating tools accredited under the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme, which can be used for determining compliance with the energy efficiency provisions of the Building Code of Australia (BCA), take into account dwelling orientation, design and material selection in calculating the star rating.

It is up to the building designer to select the mix of building features that will achieve the required star rating for a particular dwelling, taking into account the client requirements and site constraints.

(2) If undisturbed, concrete can last 200 to 300 years, or even longer. The ultimate strength of concrete depends on the ratio of the materials used to make it (normally aggregate, sand and cement) and the proportion of water used to hydrate the mixture. There is a range of Australian standards which specify the minimum required strength of concrete under different conditions and for different applications.

(3) and (4) Energy efficiency provisions for commercial buildings were first introduced in the 2005 BCA, and covered class 2, 3 and 4 buildings – these included residential apartments, aged care facilities and boarding facilities.

In 2006, energy efficiency requirements were introduced for the remainder of commercial buildings types (classes 5, 6, 7 and 8 – these include typical office buildings, warehouses, laboratories, retail centres, hospitals and schools).

(5) There are appoximately 25 staff members working specifically on energy efficiency in commercial buildings. There are additional staff members who work partly on issues related to commercial buildings.