Updates to BASIX standards: What home builders need to know

Changes to BASIX standards are set to come into effect in NSW on 1 October 2023. If you’re planning to build a home in the coming months, these changes could affect your timeline and budget.

Find out what these standards relate to, how they are changing and what this may mean for your home-building journey.

What are BASIX standards?

BASIX is actually an acronym that stands for The Building Sustainability Index.

BASIX standards are an ecological and environmental strategy that aims to reduce water use and greenhouse gas emissions. The NSW government shares that BASIX is one of the most effective sustainable planning measures to have been implemented nationwide.

First introduced in NSW in 2004, BASIX standards encompass Class 1 and Class 2 residential dwellings, Class 4 parts of a building and Class 10 buildings with a conditioned space that are erected around the state. If you are adding a swimming pool with a capacity of more than 40,000 litres or making alterations or additions to a dwelling to the value of $50,000 or more, your designs and construction process will also need to comply with BASIX standards.

When a home is being developed, proposed designs are submitted through the BASIX assessment tool, which highlights which areas need work.

BASIX standards focus mostly on a structure’s:

• Water consumption
• Energy consumption
• Thermal performance

Don’t confuse BASIX with NatHERS, which is the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme. Your home builder can explain the difference between these two if you want to know more.

Updates to BASIX standards

BASIX standards are constantly evolving to meet best-practice and they have been updated ten times since 2004.

The latest round of updates will come into effect on October 1st, 2023.

The incoming changes to BASIX standards were triggered by earlier changes to the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 energy efficiency provisions. The NCC is the national benchmark for energy efficiency in new buildings for all states except NSW, where the BASIX standards are in effect.   

To stay in line with national requirements, the new BASIX standards include the following:

• An increase in thermal comfort target from the 5.5-star NatHERS (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme) to the 7-star minimum (equivalence)
• Increases in energy consumption stringency. These increases will vary, depending on the type of building and the location of the building
• A new provision for calculating and reporting embodied emissions of the building materials to be used in the building.

More specifically, new changes will require some of the following:

• External Wall Insulation – R2.5 minimum
• Roof Insulation – R6.0 minimum
• The use of light roof colours where possible
• Single-storey home designs may require Low E coated glass in all bedroom windows, and living-room windows may require double-glazing.
• Double-storey homes may require double-glazing for all windows.

The changes will apply to any new build or alterations projects that sign a building contract after October 1st.

Getting ready to build? Here’s what you need to know

Professional builders and designers are used to incorporating changing standards and adjusting to the latest requirements and will ensure your new home build or renovation project complies with BASIX standards.

However, if you are currently in the final stages of design approval, it’s a good idea to sign your building contract before October 1st if you can. Fail to meet this deadline the cost of your project will increase due to the new requirements.

The deadline is not far away, so stay in touch with our team to make sure you can sign your building contract before BASIX standards updates apply.

North Homes are the best home builders in Sydney. Contact our team and start moving forward on your new home project today.