Section J Report - Section J NCC 2022
What is a Section J Report, what are the Section J Requirements and what does a Section J Report cost?
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What is Section J?
Section J in the National Construction Code (NCC 2022) is focused on the energy efficiency requirements for buildings. The primary goal of Section J is to ensure that buildings are built to a minimum standard to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
All commercial buildings must meet the minimum standards detailed in the Nation Construction Code (NCC 2022). The NCC looks at thermal performance, energy use for heating and cooling, lighting, hot water systems and air conditioning systems.
It should cover the following:
- Building Fabric: Insulation requirements, glazing requirements and building sealing
- Building Services: Requirements for heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems, hot water systems and lighting
- Energy: Energy Monitoring and on-site energy sources
The regulations in the NCC apply to new commercial buildings, renovations, alterations and extensions. This includes apartments, board-houses, caretaker’s residence’s offices, cafes, shops, restaurants, laboratories, schools, medical centres and more.
Section J Report
What Is A Section J Report?
A Section J Report is used to demonstrate compliance with the energy efficiency provisions contained in the National Construction Code (NCC 2022). It primarily looks at the energy requirements for commercial buildings.
The best way to show compliance is to use the provisions contained in Section J of the NCC 2022. The report should be prepared by an experienced Section J consultant or mechanical engineer.
The report will show how your proposed building complies with the Energy Efficiency Requirements of the Building Code of Australia.
The report should contain supporting calculations to show how the building meets each requirement set out in Section J. This includes calculating the required R-Values for insulation and performance values for glazing.
The purpose of the report is to demonstrate how the building will meet the regulations and standards. The report is used to demonstrate to council or a building certifier that the building meets the Section J requirements.
When Is A Section J Report Required?
A Section J Report is required when applying for a construction permit for a commercial building.
The following types of buildings are required to comply with the Section J NCC requirements:
- Class 2: Apartment buildings
- Class 3: Residential buildings such as a boarding-house, guest house, hostel, lodging-house or backpackers accommodation
- Class 4: A single dwelling in a building that is Class 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. An example of a Class 4 part of a building would be a caretaker’s residence in a storage facility.
- Class 5: An office building used for professional or commercial purposes, excluding Class 6, 7, 8, or buildings
- Class 6: A shop or other building that has the purpose of serving goods or services directly to the public. Examples include a cafe, restaurant, bar, shop, kiosk, hairdresser’s, showrooms or service stations
- Class 7: Carparks, storage facilities or wholesale display buildings
- Class 8: Laboratories, or buildings for the purpose of producing, assembling, altering, reparing, packing, finishing or cleaining goods. An example would be a factory
- Class 9: Buildings of a public nature. This includes health-care, an assembly building within a school and aged care buildings
If you are planning to build a new commercial building or planning an extension or renovation you will require a Section J assessment to demonstrate compliance with the energy efficiency provisions.
The NCC applies Australia wide and all councils will require compliance.
Section J Requirements
Section J of the NCC 2019 details the performance requirements that your commercial build needs to meet.
You will need to meet the Total R-Values required for the floors, roofs, walls. You will also need to meet glazing requirements and air movement requirements.
The provisions also detail requirements for the testing and installation of insulation, compensation for loss of ceiling insulation from penetrations, floor edge insulation and the sealing of the building.
The requirements for Section J of the NCC 2022 includes:
- Part J1 Energy efficiency performance requirements
- Part J2 Energy efficiency
- Part J3 Elemental provisions for a sole-occupancy unit of a Class 2 building or a Class 4 part of a building
- Part J4 Building fabric
- Part J5 Building sealing
- Part J6 Air-conditioning and ventilation
- Part J7 Artificial Lighting and power
- Part J8 Heated water supply and swimming pool and spa pool plant
- Part J9 Energy monitoring and on-site distributed energy resources
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Section J Cost
The cost of a Section J Report can vary depending on the type of building and complexity of the project.
Typically most reports using the Deemed to Satisfy provisions will range from $500-$4000 (plus GST).
The following aspects of the design can impact the cost of the report:
- The number of different wall types
- The number of different roof types
- The number of storey’s
- The type of floor construction
- The amount of shading and glazing
Large projects such as hotels can have significantly higher costs because they may be more appropriate to complete using a JV3 assessment (modelling the entire building in software to calculate energy usage).
We provide quotations on a case-by-case basis due to the complexity of these jobs.
