7-Star Compliance – Principles & Practices for Energy-Efficient Homes

7-Star Compliance - Principles & Practices for Energy-Efficient Homes

Overview

We will discuss the changes happening to the NCC including when changes are coming into effect across the different states. We’ll then delve into which elements of home design have the most significant impact in star rating, followed by the role of cladding in achieving a 7-star build.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this presentation, you should be able to:
• Understand the NatHERS 7-star rating system, including its regulatory context, compliance pathways, and performance benchmarks for residential buildings.
• Identify and apply core passive design principles, including orientation, shading, insulation, thermal mass, and natural ventilation, to improve building energy efficiency.
• Evaluate the impact of design decisions such as window placement, wall construction, and colour reflectivity on thermal performance across different Australian climate zones.
• Incorporate climate-responsive strategies into residential design by aligning passive solutions with the specific requirements of Australia’s eight NatHERS climate zones.

This presentation will deliver outcomes related to the following Competency/s from the National Standard of Competency for Architects 2021:

• PC 31: Be able to identify, analyse and integrate information relevant to environmental sustainability – such as energy and water consumption, resources depletion, waste, embodied carbon and carbon emissions – over the lifecycle of a project.
• PC 33: Be able to investigate, coordinate and integrate sustainable environmental systems – including water, thermal, lighting and acoustics – into the conceptual design.
• PC 39: Understand how the integration of material selection, structural and construction systems impacts on design outcomes.

Presenter
A Carpenter / Joiner by trade in 1990, Mark started his professional career in 2002 within the Aluminium Window industry and went on to State Manager level for both ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems Queensland and Dowell Windows Tasmania. Mark has a passion for the greater building industry with a drive to help builders achieve their goals and a love of building design. Using his experience over the last 7 years at James Hardie he thrives on helping to drive positive outcomes with Australias Top 200 Builders and the Queensland Building Design community through his current role as the Brisbane / Sunshine Coast BDM for James Hardie.