Demand for more energy-efficient residential and commercial properties is rapidly on the rise.
However, building contractors and property developers are not only driven by customer demand to ensure sustainable building and the construction of energy efficient properties, there’s also key regulatory requirements to satisfy.
One such regulatory standard in place in Australia driving sustainable, energy efficient building practices for commercial properties is the requirement of a Section J Report.
What is Section J?
In an effort to reduce energy consumption nationwide in Australia, the government have set out a requirement for building contractors and companies to make a proven effort to ensure that commercial builds are designed to be as energy efficient as possible when in operation.
Under Section J of the National Construction Code, construction companies must provide evidence of their efforts to ensure the energy efficiency of all new Class 2 to 9 buildings, including commercial, retail, apartments and industrial buildings. The Section J report highlights how the materials, components, design and construction of a property meets the various areas of compliance in relation to minimum energy efficiency standards.
Property developers submitting a Development Application or Construction Certificate Application must accompany their application with a completed Section J report to obtain their permit.
What information is required?
There are 8 parts of the report and all must be completed where possible when submitting an application to construct a new commercial build. The materials, building practices and components assessed include the following:
Part J1 – Building Fabric
The building envelope between the interior and exterior of the property, and its components, including the roof and ceiling construction, roof lights, walls and floors, are required to meet minimum total R-Value requirements.
Part J2 – Glazing
Meeting the set BCA glazing allowances, aggregate glazing conductance and aggregate glazing solar heat gain to ensure glazing on each level of the building is fit to restrict heat loss, allows a flow of natural light and allows cooling and correct distribution of air in periods of warmer weather.
Part J3 – Building Sealing
Ensure the building meets all sealing requirements for chimneys and flues, roof lights, external windows, external doors, exhaust fans, roof construction, walls and floors.
Part J4 – Air Movement
In a bid to reduce the need for air conditioning, building companies must demonstrate more energy efficient alternatives to ensure air cooling such as design enhancements to enable cross flow ventilation or the inclusion of energy efficient fans and coolers.
Part J5 – Air Conditioning and Ventilation Systems
Contractors and developers must provide details of all air conditioning and ventilation systems installed so that authorities can analyse the effectiveness of their choice of systems in ensuring energy efficiency
Part J6 – Artificial Lighting and Power
Submit information regarding the lamp power density and light source efficiency of all interior artificial lighting and power control, decorative lighting and external lighting as well as water boilers and water cooler units.
Part J7 – Hot Water Supply and Swimming and Spa Pool Plants
All heated water supply systems for sanitary use and food preparation as well as swimming and spa pool plants must be designed and installed according to specific standards with exemptions applied for solar water heating systems in some areas.
Part J8 – Access for Maintenance and Monitoring Facilities
Evidence of viable access to all plant, equipment and components for maintenance and monitoring purposes must be provided and meet required standards.
When is Section J required?
The all too costly mistake that many building companies and contractors make is to progress with ordering materials or even starting the build of a property prior to submitting their Section J report.
The result? They find themselves having to re-design and re-construct certain areas of the property to comply with energy efficiency compliance standards.
The best time to devise and complete a Section J report is in the design phase, to ensure any non-compliant design elements can easily be rectified.
Section J Reports Australia – The Specialists in Section J Certification
You’ll find lots of companies offering to complete your Section J report, but few offer specialist expertise in the area. The Section J report is a vital to ensuring your building permit and to managing buildings compliance so it is a task that needs to be entrusted into expert hands.
At Section J Reports Australia, we have worked on hundreds of projects, of varying sizes, for contractors and developers across Australia. We can provide Section J reports for companies and projects in any state.
Get a quote within 24 hours and receive your report in 3 days or less. Contact us today on 1300 584 010 for a free quote.
