On May 1st 2011 the (BCA) Building Code of Australia regulations for lighting in new residential structures change dramatically. A Certificate of Occupancy cannot be granted unless the building is compliant.
What are the changes & why?
All ne buildings (houses, apartments, town houses and unit) are restricted to only 5 watts per square metre for lighting . This means that specifying the right lighting throughout the home is more important than every.
The BCA J6 regulations have been introduced to improve the energy efficiency of new homes. It is envisaged to have these regulations extended to extensions in the mid term and then to existing homes in the longer term. Australians have to learn to use less electricity, Nobody has got money for new Power Stations, we have to use less. The Australian Government is using tariff increases, carbon pricing and regulations like BCA J6 to minimise the rate of increase of electricity consumption.
Tips & tricks.
If you take a 4 mtr x 4 mtr kitchen as an isolated example, you can use 80 watt of electricity. This equates to about one and a half halogen downlights, BUT, using the same formula, you can use 8 Coolmax 9 watt downlights or 6 Coolmax MiniMax 12 downlights.
The above example is taken in isolation. In re ality the 5 watt per square metre is taken over the total internal dimensions of the home. If you use less power in one room you can apply that to other rooms. For instance: A bathroom lit by a Tastic Fan/Light/Heater is classed as a heater. So the floor area of this bathroom is multiplied by 5 to give a wattage credit to rooms that need more light.
This article was published on Tuesday 19 July, 2011.
