Section J Energy Efficiency Reports for Commercial Buildings
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Are you looking for a solutions-focussed partner to de-risk Energy Efficiency compliance for your commercial project? BERA’s Commercial Team has years of experience in Energy Efficiency consultancy for all commercial building types. From Class 2 towers, to factories, schools, retail and industrial projects, BERA’s team works with you to identify an Energy Efficiency solution that is actionable and works for your project and its budget.
We are committed to great outcomes for our clients and their projects.
Get in touch with us to discuss your project, or have a look at the information below about Section J reports and how they can help your project.
What is a Section J Report?
A Section J Energy Efficiency Report will assess compliance of a building design with the Energy Efficiency requirements of the National Construction Code of Australia.
“Section J” is the part of the National Construction Code that outlines Energy Efficiency requirements for buildings constructed in Australia.
Each building may have different requirements depending on its design, so each requires an individual Section J report. A Section J report will provide technical guidance on requirements that apply to the project.
Typically, a Section J report will include a statement of requirements for:
- Building fabric (walls, roofs, floors, etc.)
- Glazing
- Building sealing
- Air-conditioning/Mechanical Plant
- Lighting & Power
- Energy monitoring/distribution measures.
- Solar Power and Battery requirements
The NCC includes multiple compliance pathways for demonstrating compliance with Section J – to give projects flexibility. Most projects will use one of these two compliance pathways:
- “Deemed to Satisfy” (DTS) – a simpler (benchmarked) method of demonstrating compliance.
- J1V3 Performance Solution – a more sophisticated compliance pathway based on building modelling that can lead to more flexible and lower build-cost solutions.
For more on NCC Section J compliance pathways, see our helpful article here: https://www.bera.com.au/what-energy-efficiency-report-do-i-need-for-my-commercial-project
What is the point of a Section J report?
Good question! The NCC Section J legislation is explicitly designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Australia by improving the Energy Efficiency of Australia’s building stock. It does this by ensuring the new buildings in Australia meet basic energy efficiency standards.
There are also many benefits to the owners and occupiers of buildings. Energy Efficiency means buildings are more comfortable for their occupants, and for most buildings, it will mean substantially lower energy consumption across the life of the building. One study by the UNSW showed that modern energy efficiency measures can reduce a building’s energy consumption by up to 84%!
When do you need to get a Section J report?
A Section J report forms part of the approval documentation for your project. Your Certifier or Building Surveyor will typically ask for it (and any associated certificate) as part of the package you submit to them for Development Approval, Building Approval and/or Building Certification. That is the only ‘hard’ deadline that requires a Section J report.
Many projects find it is best not to wait for the approval process before getting a Section J report. Section J requirements can have an impact on building design, which can be disruptive at the 11th hour of a project’s design process. Many projects involve a Section J work from the initial design phase to help identify and anticipate these potential impacts on design – for simple designs, we can provide this initial feedback quickly and at a low cost.
What Building Classes require a Section J report?
All commercial buildings require a Section J report. This includes these classes:
- Class 5 – Offices and buildings used for professional/commercial purposes
- Class 6 – Shops, restaurants and cafes
- Class 7 – Carparks, warehouses, storage buildings
- Class 8 – Factories, workshops, abattoirs
- Class 9a – Hospitals
- Class 9b – Buildings where people assemble – theatres, town halls, churches, sports facilities, schools, childcare centres, etc
- Class 9c – residential care buildings
Some residential-like buildings are also assessed as commercial buildings under building Class 3. These can include hotels, motels, backpacker accommodation, dormitories, workers’ quarters – any building where unrelated people live but which isn’t a residential apartment. All of these buildings will require a Section J Report to demonstrate compliance with Energy Efficiency requirements.
Class 2 Sole Occupancy Units and Class 4 parts of buildings (sole dwellings in non-residential buildings) are special cases. They are assessed under NCC Volume 1 as commercial buildings but have different assessment requirements to building classes 5 to 9. Your Energy Efficiency consultant and Certifier can advise on requirements.
What is in a Section J report?
BERA’s Section J reports provide an easy-to-use summary on the first page of the report, highlighting any changes that need to be made to the plans to comply with Section J requirements. The requirements reported will match the Energy Efficiency requirements of the BCA/NCC sections:
- J4D4: Building Fabric – Roof and Ceiling Construction
- J4D5: Building Fabric – Roof lights
- J4D6: Building Fabric – Walls and Glazing
- J4D7: Building Fabric – Floors
- J5: Building Sealing – Chimneys, roof lights, windows, doors, exhaust fans, building fabric construction
- J6: Air-Conditioning and Ventilation – Controls, fans, ducts, pumps, pipework
- J7: Artificial Lighting and Power – Interior artificial lighting and power control, decorative lighting, external lighting, boiling and chilled water storage units.
- J8: Heated Water Supply, Swimming Pool and Spa Pool Plant
- J9: Energy Monitoring and On-Site Distributed Energy Resources – facilities for energy monitoring, car charging, solar panel systems and battery storage systems
Not every Section J report will cover every part of the code, as some areas, like air conditioning and lighting, are often looked after by the project’s design engineers. The rest of the report shows how the requirements have been calculated.
Do I need a Section J report for building alterations?
The requirements for Section J compliance for building alterations vary from state to state. Most states have specific sections in their building acts that provide explicit rules for building alterations. Your certifier, building surveyor or approving authority can confirm requirements.
In most cases, a Section J report will still be required. Any new work will generally need to meet the current Section J Energy Efficiency requirements. For existing elements of the building, you can then review the Section J report with your approving authority, who may be able (depending on the state-based legislation) to remove some or all of those requirements.
Contact your Section J consultant or approving authority if you’re unsure.
FAQs
How much does a Section J report cost?
The cost for a Section J report depends on the building’s size and complexity and on the assessment method used (DTS or J1V3). Simple and small designs assessed with DTS can cost as little as $500; large multistorey buildings will likely cost several thousand dollars. Send us your plans, and we will provide you with a quote and a delivery timeframe.
How long does a Section J report take?
It will typically take 2 to 5 working days to produce a Section J DTS report. A J1V3 report will typically take 5-10 working days. Reports can take longer if we need to ask for additional information not in the plans provided or for large and complex buildings.
If there are Section J requirements that we think are likely to adversely affect the design, we will let you know early so that you have time to consider the options available.
We happily work with clients who have urgent jobs and can turn around Section J reports for many building designs within 24 hours if requested.
What do I need for a Section J report?
Only a current set of plans is required. Typically we will request at least:
- Site Plan
- Floor Plans
- RCP
- Sections
- Elevations
- Glazing and door schedules
- External finishes (if available) – for J1V3 only
- Mechanical & Electrical plans – for J1V3 only
We will request additional information as required to complete the assessment.
Who can conduct a Section J report?
Approving authorities (certifiers etc.) can only accept compliance reports from professionals who can demonstrate they are competent persons – i.e. with sufficient experience and background in Energy Efficiency. Energy Efficiency consultants are experts in the thermal performance of buildings and their mechanical and electrical services and how designs can be most effectively configured to meet legislated Energy Efficiency requirements. We have seen many Section J reports that contain significant errors when conducted by people who lack sufficient experience in Section J requirements and building elements required to meet them.
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Request a Section J Quote
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What happens from here:
- We’ll review your plans and get back to you with a quote – usually within 24 hours.
- Confirm you’re happy with the quote and we’ll get started.
- We might ask for additional information if the plans are incomplete.
- We’ll send you the report typically within 1-3 days (DTS) or 1-2 weeks (J1V3) – but let us know if you need it quicker.
- Once you’ve reviewed the report we can incorporate any feedback, or discuss alternative solutions with you. Options analysis is included in our fee.
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