The case for modernising residential cooling expectations

It’s 2025, and air conditioning remains a key flashpoint in Australia’s energy debate. Households are being urged to curb their usage, with policymakers proposing quick fixes such as encouraging people to:

• Turn off the air conditioner
• Stop the dishwasher
• Allow government intervention to control appliance use.

These measures are reactive at best. Worse than that, they ignore the deeper inefficiencies built into the way many Australian homes are designed.

Necessity, not luxury

In hotter parts of the country, simply switching off the air conditioner isn’t just inconvenient – it’s unsafe. Vulnerable Australians can’t be left to endure extreme temperatures. Nor should they have to.

If we’re serious about reducing household energy demand, we need to stop treating consumption as purely a behavioural issue and start addressing the built environment – beginning with the National Construction Code (NCC).

While current NCC requirements call for at least two zone systems in new builds, this is no longer fit for purpose. Two zones still mean entire sections of a home may be cooled or heated unnecessarily, wasting energy and money. A smarter approach is clear: mandate multi-zone air conditioning systems for all new builds.

In the zone

Better together

This year’s formation of the Consumer Energy Tech Alliance (CETA) by the Tech Council of Australia underscores this shift. Industry players are collaborating to get better technology into homes and there is a vital role for the construction industry to play.

Now is the time for the industry and regulators to work together. Updating the NCC to reflect contemporary needs is a tangible, forward-focused step, and one that MyPlace and CETA will formally propose to the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) in due couse. Incentivising builders to deliver higher-efficiency homes would further accelerate progress.

Turning off the air conditioning isn’t a long-term solution. Smarter regulation, better technology and thoughtful building practices are. For a more energy-efficient Australia, it’s time to build better, not just ask households to do better.

Changing the NCC

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) updates the National Construction Code (NCC) every three years, taking into account industry research and trends, public feedback, and ministerial policy direction.

The ABCB only considers submissions made using the formal “proposal for change” (PFC) template. You can submit a PFC via the ABCB website.

Featured image courtesy of Macrovector_official via Freepik

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