5 Star Standard: Western Australia Adds the “Plus”

The Government of Western Australia aims to increase the efficiency of water heating systems in new residential buildings.  The 5 Star Plus energy and water efficiency requirements stipulate that new home builders install either an energy efficient gas water heater, a solar water heater or a heat pump (see table below). “We give homeowners the choice”, says Angela Heymans from the state’s Department of Commerce. All three types of hot water heating systems are approved as being highly efficient by the Sustainable Energy Development Office in Western Australia.

‘5 Star’ refers to the minimum thermal efficiency requirements for new residential buildings in Australia under the national Building Code of Australia.  “We added the ´plus´, because we implemented additional requirements in Western Australia for efficient hot water heating systems” Heymans explains.

About 20,000 residential houses are built each year in Western Australia.  Due to the small number of new buildings and as the state has high natural gas resources, the effect of the 5 Star plus standard in itself for the solar thermal market has been rather small.  “The Solar Hot Water rebate provided by the federal Government of 1,600 Australian Dollars per system to replace existing electric storage hot water systems with solar or a heat pump has had a much bigger effect on the solar thermal market, almost doubling business” Heymans says.  This rebate however is not available to those building new houses, based on the principal that because it is a mandatory requirement the new home builder does not require an incentive.