National Construction Code update
From 1 May 2024, new Government legislation in the form of changes to the National Construction Code (“NCC”) means that all new homes purchased from this date in Queensland must be 7-star compliant and meet a new Whole of Home annual energy use budget.
Since launching our first 7-star homes in July 2023, our team has established itself as the industry’s energy experts. Many of our customers have realised it doesn’t make sense to build a 6-star home, when we can build them a home that is luxurious, 7-star and whole-of-home compliant without the high build costs they might’ve seen in the news or advertised elsewhere. To put this another way…why would you build a 6- star home, which is a home for yesterday, even if the legislation is yet to commence!
Before we continue, some important definitions:
1) 7-star compliance - the minimum standard that new homes must be built to under the NCC. In simple terms, 7-star is a measure of the thermal performance of your home. i.e. how hot and cold your house gets and how much heating and cooling you use. 7-star will deliver an improvement in thermal comfort over and above what the standard is today and this should lead to less energy usage.
2) Whole of Home measures the energy use of your home’s heating and cooling equipment and appliances, hot water systems, lighting, swimming pool, spa pumps and any other electrical devices. Renewable energy systems, such as rooftop solar panels, aren’t mandatory but can also be installed to help keep a home’s energy use within the required budget set under the NCC.
The Plantation Difference
Backed by $7 billion dollars - being part of the Henley Properties Group sees us proudly backed by our $7 billion parent company, The Sumitomo Forestry Group. Their financial strength means we have the funds to continually invest in research and innovation, well ahead of the market. Part of this investment has been an internal team of energy experts who are on hand to answer any of your questions.
Exclusive Energy Calculator - all our homes are already designed to achieve 7-star and Whole of Home compliance on virtually every orientation. In the case that your home does not automatically comply due to the orientation of your lot or specific land developer requirements, our team has developed an exclusive energy calculator that will quickly advise the costs of compliance. This is all before we ask you to pay a deposit. You won’t find any ambiguous or approximate sums in our quotes, which can later translate to expensive upgrades to achieve that compliance.
It also means you won’t need a formal energy assessment before you pay a deposit and that will help us get your job to site and into your new home faster.
Interior design consultation before you sign a contract - choosing your internal and external selections after you sign a contract becomes problematic if the builder can’t tell you how your selections will affect the energy efficiency of your home! This can only mean additional costs later. We doubt that any of us buy milk and bread without knowing the price, so we hold your interior design consultation before you sign a contract and commit to your largest financial investment. Pricing transparency before you sign a contract is a core business value of ours.
Green Home Loans
Even the banks are onboard for building a greener home. We’ve partnered with Mortgage Domayne, an award-winning construction home loan specialist, who have access to lenders offering discounted interest rates on more sustainable homes. That’s another big green tick from us! This is a no cost, obligation free service for our customers.
Get in Touch
Don’t build a non-compliant 6-star home when the 1 May deadline is looming. Build tomorrow’s 7-star home today. No smoke, no mirrors, just the facts and 7-star energy efficient homes at prices your bank will love.
