Building Better Homes with Liveable Housing Design and 7-Star Energy Efficiency

Homes in South Australia will now need to be built to a new standard. A standard that is making the future of housing more accessible, sustainable, and energy efficient. Lofty Building Group is committed to this endeavour, designing homes to be lived in and to create an even better standard of living for all residents. From 1 October 2024, the South Australian government has announced all newly constructed homes in South Australia will be required to meet higher minimum requirements. This is what’s to come for newly built homes.

7 Star Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is better for the planet and your pockets. 7-star energy efficiency will be the new standard for newly built homes. It will create more stable temperatures in the home, requiring less costly heating and cooling measures. In doing so, the aim of this is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs. These measures are anticipated to create long-term savings for homeowners. This means newly built South Australian homes will need to have specific energy efficiency requirements.

Regulating Temperature of the Home

• insulation in roofs, walls and floors
• adequate glazing
• building sealing and draught proofing
• adequate ventilation and air movement.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• insulating items such as ductwork and piping
• sealing heating and cooling ductwork
• improving artificial light
• efficient water heaters
• use of renewable energy sources, for example solar panels

Higher Accessibility and Inclusivity Standards:

Those living with a disability deserve to live with dignity in their own home. As part of these new building practises, newly built homes must accommodate more accessibility. Homes must include wider doors, corridors, and step-free access. These will be designed to accommodate residents with mobility limitations and installations will reduce future costs of mobility-related modifications by up to 22 times. These standards have specific requirements and amenities.

Livable Housing Design Requirements

• a step-free pathway to the entrance door or step-free access from a car parking space, garage or carport
• at least one toilet located on the ground or entry level of a home with circulation space to allow for comfortable movement
• wider doorways, corridors, hallways and passageways, including entry to the ground floor toilet
• a shower with step-free or ‘hobless’ access
• reinforced bathroom and toilet walls to enable handrails to be installed.

Builders Working with Local Government

The South Australian Government has obliged itself under the National Construction Code which, for the first time, will see all new builds across the state reach a 7-star energy efficiency rating and ensure new liveability and accessibility standards. The government is also working in collaboration with builders to have these implemented.

Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Nick Champion MP, has said “These new standards will benefit all South Australians – leading to cheaper energy bills and cost of living relief. Credit must be given to the building and construction for the productive way they participated in the discussions and plotting the road map to implementation…”.

Lofty are already ahead of the curve here, and are in the process of implementing these changes. Master Builders Association of South Australia CEO Will Frogley confirmed this in a statement in a media release on the new building standards.

Better living standards mean better lives for South Australians. We build homes for the future, so we must consider the future of homebuilding. South Australian home builders are considerate of the investment that home buyers have made and continue to make when building or purchasing a newly built home. These standards will allow us to enhance sustainability, inclusivity, and liveability. Homes are part of the Australian way of life. We’re here to build them.