A Comprehensive Guide to BASIX Certificate
Are you looking forward to building your dream home in New South Wales?
If so, you must be aware of energy efficiency and sustainability standards set by the NSW government before starting to build your home.
With increasing environmental concerns, NSW has been cautious about creating a sustainable built environment for a long time.
The government even introduced the initiative to encourage sustainable residential development in 2004, with BASIX being part of this initiative. It came into effect as part of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act.
Furthermore, the BASIX Certificate is your ultimate asset, proving that your home consumes less water and produces less greenhouse gases, making it a sustainable building.
Do you want to learn more about the BASIX certificate? If so, this article is for you. Here, you will learn what a BASIX certificate is, when it’s required, and how it’s assessed.
What is a BASIX Certificate?
The BASIX (Building Sustainability Index) certificate is a planning requirement introduced by New South Wales.
It is a vital document that homeowners need to obtain when filing for their home development approval.
This certificate will confirm that your dwelling meets the energy efficiency and sustainability requirements outlined by the NSW.
Basically, the BASIX certificate demonstrates that your dwelling is designed and constructed to use less potable water and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
You can obtain a BASIX Certificate after the completion of the sustainability assessment via the BASIX assessment tool.
This online tool requires data input related to your home’s water usage, energy usage, and thermal comfort.
If your dwelling meets the pre-specified water, energy, and thermal comfort targets, then a BASIX certificate is issued.
When Do You Need a BASIX Certificate?
If the development application stage of your new residential building built in NSW is of $50,000 or more, you will need a BASIX certificate. Residential buildings can include the following:
- Single dwellings
- Dual-occupancy dwellings
- Villas
- Guest houses
- Townhouses
- Low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise multi-unit developments
- Boarding houses
- Hostels
- Multi-unit developments
- Backpacker accommodation
- Loading houses
- Hostels
- Guest houses
- Swimming pools and outdoor spas with water capacity equal to or greater than 40,000 litres or 40 kilolitres.
Moreover, alterations and add-ons to existing buildings that cost more than $50,000 will also need a BASIX certificate.
Three main components to assess the sustainable design of the buildings mentioned above include water usage, thermal comfort, and greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to the BASIX tool, you can also use the NABERS water rating tool to assess the water usage of your newly constructed house accurately.
When Do You Need More Than One BASIX Certificate?
You might need more than one BASIX certificate in case of three instances- the subdivision into single ‘Torrens title’ lots, for large multi-building residential flats, staged development, and development that involves strata title.
Subdivision into single ‘Torrens title’ lots
When proposals include subdivision of land into separate single dwellings not sharing property or services, you can opt for the following options:
- Acquire a single BASIX certificate that covers all dwellings within the proposal.
- Acquire an individual BASIX certificate for each dwelling within the proposal.
If you only need one BASIX certificate, you can use the BASIX multi-dwelling tool to generate the certificate.
Development involving strata title
You will need a single BASIX Certificate that covers your entire project application for the following developments:
- Flat residential buildings
- Villa units
- Multi-dwelling houses
- Multi-purpose buildings on land sharing common property and shared services
Staged development
Sometimes, you might need to divide the development into separate parts for management purposes. In such a case, you should consult the BASIX consultant whether you need more than one BASIX certificate.
Large multi-building residential flats
You might need more than a single BASIX certificate for the following types of developments:
- Multiple residential towers
- Blocks containing 100+ units
- Blocks containing 200+ units for the overall development
Obtaining multiple BASIX certificates for these types of developments will enable quicker water and energy efficiency assessment and allow revisions to be made to the specific project.
What Does a BASIX Certificate Cost?
The cost to obtain a BASIX certificate can vary depending on the area and intricacy of the building’s design.
Many BASIX-accredited assessors use NatHERS modelling for most projects to help homeowners save on compliance costs.
The following discussed is the average cost that any reliable BASIX consultant can charge for a BASIX Certificate:
- $240 for single-storey new homes
- 4320 for double-storey new homes
- $180 for renovation and alterations
- The NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure can charge $50 as a fee for new homes.
- The NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure can charge $25 as a fee for alterations and/or additions.
Summing it up!
NSW established BASIX to meet its target of reducing water consumption by up to 40% and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25%.
As a result, obtaining a BASIX certificate for your new home in NSW can contribute to a sustainable built environment and deliver financial savings.
Furthermore, if you want to achieve a more accurate water efficiency rating for your new dwelling, opting for NABERS water rating along with BASIX is the perfect solution.
