It is that time again – the new National Construction Code 2022 is due to come into full effect in May 2023, including new requirements for renewable energy equipment, electric vehicle charging and battery systems.

The Australian Building Codes Board produces and maintains the NCC on behalf of the Federal Government and state and territory governments. Its purpose is to outline the minimum performance-based requirements for a new and refurbished building’s safety, accessibility, health, amenity and sustainability. 

In this iteration of the NCC, Section J8 Facilities for energy monitoring has been moved to Section J9 and renamed Energy monitoring and on-site distribution of energy resources. 

This new section adds requirements for electric vehicle charging equipment, solar panels and battery systems within buildings. This also necessitated the addition of requirements for monitoring additional load.

New criteria in Section J9D3 Energy monitoring now requires the recording of individual time of energy data used for on-site renewable energy equipment, electric vehicle charging and battery systems. 

The energy data gathered from this equipment must now be centralised onto the same single monitoring user interface as the rest of the loads on site.

What does this mean for energy monitoring?

A single-user interface must be able to collate information from various types of energy meters/equipment, including loads such as HVAC, lighting, power, central hot water, internal transport and other ancillary plans, as well as the new addition of on-site solar, EV charging and battery systems.

The information captured must be time-stamped (i.e. energy consumption recorded with reference to time and date). Ideally, the information captured should be easily identifiable (i.e. loads outlined in J9D3 should be grouped and/or labelled appropriately within the single user interface).

The single-user interface must have the facility to store energy consumption information for a reasonable period of time (data storage capacity is not specified).

What does this mean for electric vehicle charging equipment?

Electrical distribution boards dedicated to electrical vehicle charging are now required in accordance with Table J9D4. The distribution boards are required to have the capacity to support the delivery and monitoring of the minimum power specified in J9D4.

Time-stamped energy data collected from EV charging needs to be centralised in the same user interface as the energy meters from other individual loads on site.

What does this mean for solar photovoltaic and battery systems?

For new buildings without solar and battery systems at the time of completion, the main electrical switchboard is required to contain at least two empty three-phase circuit breaker slots and four DIN rail spaces labelled to indicate the use of each space for solar system and battery system. 

These empty spaces must be sized to accommodate the installation of solar photovoltaic panels producing their maximum electrical output on at least 20 per cent of the building roof area.

How to comply to the NCC section J9D3

NHP has worked diligently to help provide seamless solutions for NCC compliance. 

A wide range of energy meters are available through NHP to monitor all types of loads within your building. Communication options such as MODBUS and BACnet are available across the NHP range of energy meters, and all of NHP’s energy meters can fit into our Concept Plus distribution boards.

Concept Plus single, double or triple-metered distribution boards are fitted with NHP’s dual energy meter EM270, which is capable of monitoring 2×3-phase loads or 6x-single-phase loads within the single meter. 

This means that individual branch feeder subcircuit metering for light, power and HVAC (or any other load metered sections) can be done within the one distribution board and exported for reporting and centralisation. For greater granularity, the WM50 branch circuit energy meter can monitor up to 96 circuits from the single unit, giving the option to monitor energy usage down to a single circuit and appliance.

NHP Concept Plus distribution boards have standardised models specifically dedicated for electric vehicle distribution. They can fit up to 24 single-phase chargers and options are available for three-phase charger versions or a mixture of both.

Elegantly designed, flexible, practical, efficient and fast, the Delta AC Max 22kW is a market leader in both function and appearance and is well suited for both commercial and residential requirements. 

It is a single and three-phase compatible EV charger in one, meaning greater flexibility. Input wires can enter the charger from various points, enabling easier installation, regardless of concrete walls, plaster/timber walls or steel posts.

The Delta AC Max Smart also includes an in-built modem with Ethernet/Wi-Fi/SIM card slot connection types. This enables the charger to have the communication capability to remotely track its energy usage and send the data to centralised user interface such as NHP’s SMART eBOX.

The SMART eBox takes the guesswork out of centralising all the energy monitoring devices to a single user interface. 

It can be utilised as a datalogger, gateway or controller for various meters, environmental sensors and other SMART power distribution devices via Modbus (RTU or Ethernet). It can also operate as a BACnet/IP gateway, seamlessly integrating any Modbus capable device into a Building Management System. The SMART eBox is built and commissioned by NHP, which means by combining with NHP’s metered panelboards, it becomes a flexible, easy-to-use and quick-to-install solution that ticks all the boxes for Section J9D3.

This sponsored editorial is brought to you by NHP. For more information, visit www.nhp.com.au/, call us: 1300 647 647, or email: nhpsales@nhp.com.au.

The Western Australian Government has begun work to identify legislative and regulatory measures that would allow temporary ministerial override...

The project team working on a toolkit to assist South Australian regional councils alleviate severe housing supply shortages is...

Victorian businesses and local government have been given a $4 million funding boost for major recycling projects to expand...

Programmed has celebrated another ‘Trade for a Day’ event as part of its Social Inclusion Program held in October....

The City of Whittlesea has developed a new economic strategy to support a strong, innovative local economy over the...

As part of its 2022-23 Budget, Brisbane City Council has introduced new rating categories which will see owners of...

Hundreds of pedestrian crossings across Queensland will be upgraded with smart technology designed to improve efficiency and safety at...

The 2022 Local Government NSW Excellence in the Environment Award winners have been announced, with the awards  recognising outstanding...

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The latest news and stories from Australia's local government sector.

The Hills Shire Council has added 126 new solar panels to its Norwest administration building, boosting the 400 existing panels output by 73,000kWh. https://bit.ly/3kCUZkd

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), along with the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) and National Shelter, is urging for funding in the upcoming Federal Budget to tackle the housing crisis. https://bit.ly/3IPGWBa

Tweed residents are reflecting on the flood events of February and March 2022, as the one year anniversary of the tragedy arrives – marking a year since the worst floods in the region’s recorded history left a trail of destruction. https://bit.ly/3KyKtFe

Northern Beaches Council has signed a contract with telco Vocus Satellite – Starlink to access its high-performance satellite broadband service, becoming the first council and government agency in New South Wales to do so. https://bit.ly/3kfb9QU

Sustainability Victoria is set to deliver $2 million in funding on behalf of the Victorian Government to councils in the state – through the Circular Economy Councils Fund – to divert waste from landfill and improve recycling capacity. https://bit.ly/3XZcEQK

If you’d like to find out more about us, please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.

P: +(03) 9988 4950 E: info@councilmagazine.com.au

We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.