Australian Home Lighting Regulations
Building Code Of Australia (BCA) ENERGY EFFICIENCY Compliance
The Building Code of Australia (BCA) outlines the requirements for plumbing, insulation, heating, construction and many other aspects of home building – including Lighting.
All new Australian homes and renovations that require a planning permit must comply with the BCA code – and specifically with regard to lighting, the section 13.7.6 in the NCC 2022 Volume 2 Hosing Provisions.
Regulating maximum energy usage, the NCC BCA (developed by the ABCB) means that all residences where a Building Permit has been issued must comply with the 5W/M2 requirement maximum consumption from lighting system in a home.
In plain English, compliance requires every light fitting installed in your home to be added up based on its energy consumption (wattage), and across the entire home, you are allowed a maximum of 5 watts of lighting energy consumed per meter squared.
To prove that your new home or renovation will meet the energy consumption requirements of BCA, you need a lighting plan that shows the light fittings you’ll be installing and then provide an acceptable calculation to prove that the total energy consumption across the entire interior of the home will be 5 Watts per square meter (5W/m2) or less.
Verandas and Porches are allowed 4 watts per square meter (4W/m2), and Garages 3 watts per square meter (3W/m2).
There are the “exceptions” and adjustment factors which also come into play and can “earn” you more watts of energy to be consumed by lighting – if you want to explore those we suggest working with an expert.
Keeping it simple – by including lighting control equipment in your home, in the form of motion detectors at the most basic level, right through to comprehensive digital lighting control systems, you can “earn” extra watts which can be consumed by lighting.
How much you earn is governed by how much control you install.
Calculating Energy Consumption of a lighting design can be confusing, however professionals who deal with the BCA on a regular basis can assist you with navigating the process and ensuring you comply.
The BCA is great for ensuring a minimum level of efficiency in lighting is adhered to in in homes; however it doesn’t ensure that your lighting design is good.
It is very easy to create a lighting plan which complies with the BCA on energy consumption, however that doesn’t mean it produces usable light in your home.
Energy consumption is not a clear indicator of light produced with LED lighting.
I’m not trying to “pick” on LED – we use it exclusively in our lighting designs and it can be a wonderful source of light.
The simple truth of the LED lighting available in Australia is that there are thousands of importers bringing product in, marketing it, promising that it can do everything you could ever want from a light – with no actual consideration for how the light with perform. Their sole focus is profit margins.
It is true that light fittings can be purchased very cheaply, and still “comply” with Australian Standards. They turn on and off, and they consume a low amount of energy and they produce some lumens. However, a light fitting which doesn’t produce good light – seems a little pointless when you think it through. Even if it saves you energy – are you really in front if you can no longer see clearly?
Many low energy products in the market are not terribly efficient. Just because a light fitting consumes only 8W for example, does not guarantee that for that 8W you are getting an efficient conversion of energy to light. 8W used to create 480lm is great – 8W used to create 270lm – not very efficient.
Using an independent lighting professional for advice or for a design service will remove the unknowns from your home lighting plan, however a bit of research on your own, and a keen eye for detail should be enough to allow you to take control of the lighting for your home.
If you'd like to discuss lighting design for your home, please get in touch!
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