Energy efficiency standards for houses and townhouses

Residential energy efficiency standards help maintain comfortable indoor temperatures throughout the year and reduce reliance on air-conditioning for cooling and heating. This can improve liveability and lower household energy costs.

New houses and townhouses (class 1 buildings and their enclosed attached garages (class 10a)) must comply with Queensland's residential energy efficiency requirements under the National Construction Code (NCC) and Queensland Development Code (QDC) 4.1.

QDC 4.1 includes variations and additional compliance pathways that support the practical application of these provisions in Queensland.

The residential energy efficiency requirements include a thermal performance (star rating) for the dwelling's building shell (roof, walls, windows and floor), which must achieve:

  • 7 stars for most houses and townhouses
  • 5 stars for eligible small homes under QDC 4.1
  • 6 stars for eligible houses with raised floor construction under QDC 4.1.

QDC 4.1 also provides a climate zone 5 compliance pathway for houses with a floor over an unenclosed space.

How to achieve the required thermal performance rating

There are many design features that can contribute to the minimum standard for houses, including:

  • northern orientation of living rooms
  • minimising the area of east and west facing walls and windows
  • natural ventilation through windows and doorways
  • shading with wider eaves and awnings
  • insulation in roof space and walls
  • high-performance glazing
  • light-coloured roofs and walls
  • ventilating the roof space via roof and eave vents
  • ceiling fans in living areas and bedrooms
  • well-designed outdoor living areas.

The design must account for the climate of the area where the house is located. Find design tips for a specific climate zone.

Optional credits for outdoor living areas

Optional credits for outdoor living areas can be used towards meeting the required star rating for houses and townhouses. The optional credits remain available for eligible small homes and houses with raised floor construction and can be used towards meeting the applicable minimum rating.

For an outdoor living area, it must meet minimum design specifications:

  • ½-star credit for a fully covered outdoor living area that is connected to an indoor living area (such as a lounge, kitchen or family room) where it has
    • at least 12m2 in floor area
    • a minimum dimension of 2.5m in all directions
    • an impervious roof with an insulation R-value of at least R-1.5
    • 2 or more sides open or capable of being readily opened.
  • 1-star credit when an outdoor living area
    • meets the above requirements
    • is fitted with at least 1 ceiling fan that has a speed controller and a blade rotation diameter of at least 900mm.
  • The floor area a fan serves must not exceed
    • 15m2 if it has a blade rotation diameter of less than 1200mm
    • 25m2 if it has a blade rotation diameter of greater than or equal to 1200mm.

The house’s design must achieve a minimum baseline rating for the building shell that is no more than 1 star below the required star rating when using the optional credits.

Flexible design options can be used to achieve the required star rating. For example, where a house is required to achieve a 7-star rating this can be achieved by obtaining a:

  • 7-star building shell rating only
  • 6½-star building shell rating plus a ½-star credit for the inclusion of a compliant outdoor living area
  • 6-star building shell rating plus 1-star credit for the inclusion of a compliant outdoor living area with a ceiling fan(s).

Marketing houses higher than the required energy equivalence rating

Optional credits under QDC MP 4.1 may be used to achieve the applicable 5-star, 6-star or 7-star equivalent rating. However, they cannot be used to promote a house as having a higher rating.

For example:

  • a house with a 6-star Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) rating that uses a 1-star credit for a compliant outdoor living area may be promoted as achieving a 7-star equivalent rating; and
  • a house with a 7-star NatHERS rating does not become an 8-star house because it includes a compliant outdoor living area.

Guidance materials

The department has prepared the following guidance materials to make it easier to support compliance and help designers and builders understand Modern Homes standards requirements early in the design process.

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