What Changes NCC 2022 Introduced to Section J-Energy Efficiency in Class 3 to 9 Buildings?

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What Changes NCC 2022 Introduced to Section
J-Energy Efficiency in Class 3 to 9 Buildings?
The National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 updated
Section J-Energy Efficiency by introducing
changes in Class 3 to 9 buildings and commercial
spaces. These commercial buildings include
hotels, schools, offices, stores, parking,
factories, etc. The main aim of energy
efficiency provision in the NCC is to support the
Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB)
sustainability objective. If you are looking
forward to constructing a building, you must
know the updated NCC BCA Section J. While recent
changes mainly involve the naming conventions of
the sections, you need to understand the new
requirements these sections bring. In this
article, we have discussed two vital areas of
NCC 2022 updates, i.e., electric vehicle charging
infrastructure in the parking area and features
for generating and storing on-site renewable
energy.
Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Car
Parks
According to the code, its mandatory for the car
parks associated with Class 2, 3, 5, 6, 7b, 8, or
9 buildings to have dedicated electrical
distribution boards for electric vehicle
charging. Lets learn about the requirements in
detail
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• Distribution board specifications
• The updated NCC BCA Section J specifies that
  each car in each storey must be equipped with
  dedicated electrical distribution boards.
• Its mandatory to clearly label the distribution
  boards to indicate their purpose for EV charging
  equipment.

Charging control system and circuit capacities

• The car parks must have distribution boards with
  a charging control system to manage and schedule
  electric vehicle charging according to the
  buildings total demand.
• Future expansion and sub-circuit metering
• The size of distribution boards should be ideal
  enough to accommodate the electric vehicle
  chargers that will likely be installed in the
  coming years.
• In addition, distribution boards must have
  sufficient space to accommodate individual
  sub-circuit electricity metering to monitor
  electricity usage from EV charging equipment
  accurately.

Features for Generating and Storing On-Site
Renewable Energy

• Another critical aspect that the updated NCC BCA
  Section J emphasised is the inclusion of
  features facilitating on-site renewable energy
  generation and storage installation. Lets learn
  about the requirements in detail
• Main electrical switchboard specifications
• The buildings main electrical switchboard must
  have at least two slots for an empty three-phase
  circuit breaker and four DIN rail spaces labelled
  for particular purposes.
• The labelled spaces should be designated for
  installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) and a
  battery system.

Roof area allocation for solar photovoltaic panels
Its mandatory to leave a minimum of 20 of the
buildings roof area to install solar
photovoltaic panels to promote renewable energy
generation.
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However, the updated NCC BCA Section J report
specifies exceptions for buildings with solar
panels covering at least 20 of the roof
area. In addition, the buildings generating
equivalent capacity of solar power generation
elsewhere on-site, highly shaded roofs, roofs
primarily used as car parks, roof gardens,
terraces, or roof lights, or rooftops with an
area not exceeding 55 m2, come under the
exception. To sum up it all The inclusion of
electric vehicle charging infrastructure and
features for generating and storing on-site
renewable energy will lead to a forward-thinking
approach to sustainable construction practices.
The updated NCC BCA Section J report not only
helps promote a greener future but also meets
the increasing demand for energy-efficient and
environmentally responsible buildings and
commercial spaces. As a construction business
owner or a professional architect, its your
responsibility to help your clients build a
building according to Australias building
code. You can do the same by updating yourself
about the changes introduced by NCC 2022 in
Section J-Energy Efficiency in Class 3 to 9
buildings and commercial spaces. Knowing about
updated NCC 2022 Section J-Energy Efficiency
requirements will guide you to construct
energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.
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