Housing resilience

See BASIX Annual snapshot

This dataset covers:

• LGA for all NSW

• From: 2011-12
• To: Ongoing
• Frequency: Annual

Alterations and Additions: includes additions to an existing house such as swimming pool, basement or an attic, sunroom, spa room and secondary dwelling (Granny flat) by conversion of existing habitable space.

BASIX: a series of development application requirements for water and energy usage and thermal comfort performance that applies to all new residential dwellings, alterations and additions worth more than $50,000 and swimming pools over 40,000L.

BASIX Certificate: the legal document needed to approve a development complies with BASIX. A BASIX Certificate is generated using an online tool; if the development meets the BASIX requirements, a certificate is generated and submitted with the development application of complying development certificate.

BASIX Targets: BASIX sets sustainability target for water and energy as well as minimum performance levels for the thermal comfort of residential development. These are the requirements a development must meet. They vary by dwelling type as well as location to suit local conditions. They are expressed as a percentage saving against an NSW benchmark (this benchmark is consistent across NSW).

BASIX Tool: Estimates the water and energy consumption and the thermal comfort based on the details of the proposed dwelling, including floor area, the size, location, type of windows, type of insulation and the type of hot water being installed.

Completion receipt: Following the final inspection and prior to issuing a final occupation certificate, the certifying authority is required to issue a BASIX completion receipt.

Multi-dwelling includes townhouse, row house, terrace, residential flat building, dual occupancy, two houses on one lot, and a new principal dwelling and a new secondary dwelling (granny flat) together.

Single dwelling: includes single house on one lot, bungalow, one part of a semi-detached home, cottage, and secondary dwelling (granny flat) by change of use or next to existing principal dwelling.

• The data are indicators of trends in new residential development. They do not capture existing dwellings and monitor minor renovations that change the sustainability of a residential dwelling.
• Data is richest for single detached dwellings. Multi-unit developments have less data available.
• Data is collected at the planning stage, prior to build.
• The BASIX calculations are based on average occupancy and behaviour. There may be differences between the planned and actual delivery of residential developments and energy and water usage and thermal loads.
• Multiple certificates can be generated for a single development. Certificates can also be revised. Users can filter for certificates with a completion receipt to check whether the development proceeded to construction and occupation.
• The annual releases include both new certificates as well as revisions to existing certificates. Due to these revisions, yearly releases are not directly comparable.
• BASIX has developed a webpage of definitions.
• Relationship to the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS): NatHERS provides homes with a star rating out of ten based on an estimate of it’s potential (heating and cooling) energy use. It is included in the National Construction Code and used by state and territory governments. In NSW, the BASIX system replaces the code’s energy efficiency requirements, including NatHERS, and adds other aspects of sustainable development. So not every newly built residential dwelling will have a NatHERS rating (only those that use the Simulation thermal comfort method will have a NatHERS rating).NatHERS data is visualised by the CSIRO across a series of dashboards.
• Provisions to enable the operation of BASIX are contained in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 and State Environmental Planning Policy (Building Sustainability Index: BASIX) 2004.

NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment