NCC 2022 ENERGY EFFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW HOMES IN QUEENSLAND
Effective 1 May 2024 – What It Means for Your Build
From 1 May 2024, all new homes in Queensland must meet the updated NCC 2022 energy efficiency standards. These rules aim to improve year round comfort, reduce energy bills, and support sustainability. They also set out specific design and material requirements that must be addressed before building approval is granted.
At OJ Pippin Homes, we’ve been navigating these new rules for months, helping our clients achieve compliance while still delivering the custom home they envisioned. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s Changed Under NCC 2022 in Queensland?
The updated energy efficiency provisions introduce two key compliance pillars.
1. 7-Star Building Shell Rating
New homes are now required to reach a 7-star NatHERS rating. This rating looks at how well the overall structure, walls, windows, roof, and floors naturally maintains a comfortable indoor climate without relying heavily on heating or cooling systems.
Understanding the “Deemed-to-Satisfy” Pathway in the NCC 2022 Energy Rules
When it comes to building a new home, compliance with the National Construction Code (NCC) can sometimes feel complicated. One of the easiest ways to understand it is through what’s called the Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) provisions.
Think of DTS as following a set recipe. The NCC sets out clear instructions for things like insulation, glazing, lighting and hot water systems. If your home is designed and built exactly to these instructions, it’s automatically considered compliant, no additional energy modelling or complex assessments required.
At OJ Pippin Homes, we include key energy efficiency features as standard, such as LED lighting, ceiling fans throughout, Anticon blanket under the roof, ceiling insulation, and wall insulation to all cladded walls. However, every home is different, and additional upgrades are often needed depending on your site, design, and orientation.
2. Whole-of-Home Energy Budget
Under NCC 2022, it’s not just about the building envelope anymore. The new ‘whole-of-home’ assessment considers how much energy your household is expected to use across all systems and appliances in a typical year. The Whole of Home Calculator factors in:
- House size & NCC climate zone
- Air-conditioning system rating
- Hot water system type (heat pump, solar, gas, or electric storage)
- Pool & spa pump sizes and volumes (if applicable)
- Solar PV system size
Homes must now achieve a minimum score of 60 points in the official Whole-of-Home Calculator, a government-issued tool that uses locked formulas to standardise results across Queensland.
In our experience, including solar PV or upgrading to a heat pump hot water system makes compliance much easier, that’s why at OJ Pippin Homes we include a 3.5kw solar system is our standard inclusions.
How the Whole of Home Calculation Works
The calculator considers:
- Size & climate zone – Bigger homes in hotter or colder zones require more energy.
- Air-conditioning – High efficiency systems score better.
- Hot water – Heat pumps rate significantly higher than electric storage or gas therefore this type of system might be suggested if your home design is not reaching the compliance rating.
- Lighting – Energy efficient LED lighting reduces energy demand. At OJ Pippin Homes, we use LED lighting and fans throughout your home as part of our standard inclusions to assist with the whole of home compliance rating.
- Pool/spa – If you plan on installing a pool or spa, the volume and pump efficiency are factored in.
- Solar PV – Reduces net energy consumption and boosts your score. At OJ Pippin Homes we include a 3.5KW solar system as part of our standard inclusions to assist with the whole of home compliance rating.
OJ Pippin Homes Insight: Most of our builds will require extra treatment to achieve the 7-star shell, this information is provided in the early design stage. For the whole-of-home pass, our standard inclusions of a 3.5KW solar system and the air conditioning systems we supply will generally achieve compliance.
Why All Homes Require Early Energy Modelling
In our experience, there’s no “standard” compliance solution. Your results depend on:
- Orientation & site layout – Orientation and site layout are often fixed by council setback rules and block position, meaning builders usually need to work within these constraints when aiming for compliance.
- Amount & placement of glazing, this is sometimes unavoidable, as the Building Code of Australia requires a minimum level of natural light and ventilation for each room, based on its size
- Eave depth & shading devices – To support compliance, OJ Pippin Homes include 450 mm eaves as standard. However, some façade designs without eaves may face greater challenges in meeting the requirements.
- Ceiling heights & roof type – At OJ Pippin Homes, we use genuine Colorbond® roof sheeting, available in a wide selection of colours, we suggest that a light colour is selected to help achieve compliance.
- Roof & wall colour selections – The choice is yours, but we recommend opting for lighter colours to improve your chances of achieving compliance.
- Size of outdoor living spaces – Including a roofed outdoor area greater than 12m2 that’s open on at least three sides offers the best chance of meeting energy efficiency compliance.
- Number/type of light fittings & fans – At OJ Pippin Homes, ceiling fans are part of our standard inclusions, helping to give you the best chance of meeting compliance requirements.
- Choice of air conditioning & hot water systems – OJ Pippin Homes is committed to selecting energy efficient appliances to support overall energy efficiency compliance.
- Pool/spa inclusion & pump efficiency – While OJ Pippin Homes does not supply or install pools or spas, if either is included on your plans, it must still be reported as part of the compliance assessment.
It’s impossible to know the exact treatments you’ll need (insulation thickness, glazing performance, system specs) until final construction plans and colour selections are complete. That’s why at OJ Pippin Homes we now start with a preliminary energy assessment in the early design stage and finalise the report for the building approval once the construction plans and colour selections are finalised.
Section 37 Transitional Exemption – Can You Use It?
Home designs that were already underway before 1 May 2024 might still qualify to be assessed under the older NCC 2019 rules. This is possible through Section 37 of the Building Act 1975, which provides a transitional exemption in specific cases.
This applies if:
- You lodged your building approval before 1 May 2024, or
- Your design was substantially progressed before that date, and required NCC 2022 changes would not be considered “minor”.
If eligible, you can be assessed under the previous NCC 2019 provisions, which had less stringent insulation and glazing requirements and no whole-of-home check.
Action Step: Check with your sales consultant as soon as possible to confirm eligibility.
What Does Compliance Cost?
The additional cost to meet NCC 2022 requirements varies based on your home size, design, and materials. In our recent experience, these costs are;
- $0.00 – $2,000 for smaller, well-oriented homes with moderate glazing & light roofs
- $2,000 – $5,000 for an average family home needing glazing & insulation upgrades
- $5,000 – $20,000 for a larger home with a lot of glazing or a large poorly orientated home with increased sun exposure. A home built on posts will require suspended floor insulation to address the uplift thermal rating for flooring exposed to outdoor elements.
Although there is an upfront cost, these requirements are intended to pay off over time, lowering power bills, improving comfort in both summer and winter, and reducing your home’s environmental footprint.
OJ Pippin Homes Compliance Recommendations
To reduce costs and streamline compliance:
- Be strategic with glazing, bigger windows aren’t always better thermally.
- Consider a lighter roof colour to avoid costly insulation upgrades.
- Plan for solar system or a heat pump hot water system to boost your whole-of-home score.
- Engage with your builder early for modelling and compliance advice.
Ready to Build you Energy Efficient home?
At OJ Pippin Homes, we’ve already delivered multiple projects meeting Queensland’s NCC 2022 Energy Efficiency requirements. We’ll work with you from the design stage to find the most cost effective pathway to compliance, without compromising on your home’s style or lifestyle features.
Let’s get started on your custom home today.
