29 June 2007 - BASIX Certificate required for alterations and additions valued at $50,000 or more from 1 July 2007

From 1 July 2007 BASIX will apply to alterations and additions work on existing dwellings where the estimated construction cost of the work is more than $50,000 and where development approval is required. BASIX has applied to alterations and additions work valued at $100,000 since October 2006.

The BASIX Alterations and Additions tool will continue to operate as before, requiring users to enter the project's design and construction details for assessment against the energy, water and thermal comfort requirements.

BASIX for alterations and additions continues to apply to development proposals for a swimming pool of 40,000 litres capacity or more.

29 June 2007 - BASIX Completion Receipt required for BASIX-affected alterations and additions work from July 1 2007

All Principal Certifying Authorities are advised that from 1 July 2007 there is legal requirement to generate a BASIX Completion Receipt within 2 days of issuing a final Occupation Certificate for BASIX-affected alterations and additions work on existing dwellings.

BASIX Certificates for new dwellings became mandatory on July 1 2006. The Department is also corresponding directly with Principal Certifying Authorities on this matter.

30 May 2007 - BASIX Monitoring Outcomes

The NSW Premier, the Hon. Morris Iemma and the Minister for Planning, the Hon. Frank Sartor, MP, today released the BASIX monitoring results for 2004/05 and a snapshot of 2005/06 data. For more information and to download the BASIX report, visit BASIX monitoring

30 May 2007 - BASIX Multi-Unit Residential Cogeneration Demonstration

The NSW Premier, the Hon. Morris Iemma and the Minister for Planning, the Hon. Frank Sartor, MP, today announced funding for two demonstration cogeneration projects in residential multi-units at Chatswood and Rouse Hill. For more information, refer to the the Energy page

11 August 2006 - BASIX for Alterations and Additions now available

BASIX for Alterations and Additions tool is now available. This scheme will be mandatory from 1 October if:

• your renovation work is valued at $100,000 or more, or
• you are installing a swimming pool (or pool and spa) with a capacity greater than 40,000 litres.

01 August 2006 - BASIX Energy Cogeneration Report now available

The report aims to identify barriers, solutions and other considerations to the use of congeneration in residential multi-unit buildings. Click here to read the report.

01 August 2006 - AccuRate Climate Map

The climate map provided by the Australian Greenhouse Office shows the proposed climate zones for the AccuRate thermal simulation software. The Department of Planning is currently assessing AccuRate as a replacement for NatHERS in the Thermal Comfort Index.

How to assess the climate zones

There are 17 climate zones available in NSW for the Simulation option in BASIX Thermal Comfort. These are based on the locations shown in pink text on the map. The borders are based on postcodes which are also shown. No more climates can be added at this stage as only these locations have sufficient climatic data for thermal simulations.

While the map has been developed by climate experts, the Department recognises the benefit of local experience in finalising the map. If you believe a postcode should be allocated to another climate zone please send feedback to basix@planning.nsw.gov.au.

Click here to download the climate map (pdf 8.7mb)

08 June 2006 - BASIX Energy Targets

The BASIX Energy targets will vary across NSW, according to the building type and location. For more information, visit the Energy page.

08 June 2006 - BASIX for Alterations and Additions

BASIX for Alterations and Additions will become mandatory on 01 October 2006. For more information, visit the Alterations and Additions page.

28 February 2006 - Energy & Peak Demand Study of Multi-Unit Residential Buildings

Recently published in Energy News, the Australian Institute of Energy journal, this article details the findings from a joint study of on the energy consumption of multi-unit developments. To read the article, click here (pdf 151kb).

9 January 2006 - BASIX Alterations and Additions scheme now on public exhibition

The discussion paper for the proposed BASIX Alterations and Additions scheme, (which is due to become mandatory on 1 July 2006) is now available for public review and comment.

This paper outlines the process and requirements for alterations and additions and will be on exhibition from 9 January - 28 February 2006. Stakeholder review and comment is invited during this time.

On completion of the exhibition, the scheme will be incorporated into the BASIX website.

Click here to go to the alterations and additions page for more information.

16 December, 2005 - New Do-It-Yourself (D.I.Y.) method for Thermal Comfort Index

The new D.I.Y. option for assessing a dwelling's thermal comfort levels is now available for use in BASIX.

D.I.Y. is a free and simple method that sets minimum insulation levels and scores the dwelling's glazing and shading for cooling and heating.

It is not a new policy, but an updated, more sophisticated version of the Deemed to Comply option, which was a part of BASIX from 1 July 2004 - 31 June 2005.

D.I.Y. provides users with more choice and flexibility to achieve BASIX compliance and has the flexibility to cover the vast majority of house designs (including certain architect-designed dwellings). It is not possible to pass D.I.Y. without addressing good thermal design principles: insulation, good orientation, appropriate shading and glazing. D.I.Y. is consistent with the residential thermal comfort framework under the Building Code of Australia, where a Deemed-To-Satisfy (DTS) option is available in addition to a 'Simulation' method.

D.I.Y. was developed in response to demand from industry and the public. It is only available for single dwelling projects, and can be accessed via the Thermal Comfort section of any single dwelling project.

For more information read the fact sheet (pdf)

1 October, 2005 - BASIX for Multi-Units commences

Minister for Planning, the Hon. Frank Sartor, MP, today officially launched BASIX for Multi-Units, the NSW Government.s energy and water saving initiative.

The NSW Government is the first state in Australia to require all new multi-unit residential developments to meet stringent sustainability targets.

For more information on BASIX for Multi-Units, read the fact sheet

July 20, 2005 - BASIX Alterations and Additions to commence on 1 July 2006

The Hon. Craig Knowles, MP, Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, announced a revised timeline for BASIX Alterations and Additions at the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) 'Building on BASIX' forum, Wednesday 20 July 2005. BASIX will now apply to alterations and additions in New South Wales from 1 July 2006.

The new timeline will allow for more extensive consultation with all stakeholders such as industry, local government and homeowners. It will also allow more time for developing practicable and cost effective greenhouse and water reductions for the broad range of household renovation scenarios, including first floor additions, new kitchens, new bathrooms and swimming pools. An extended exhibition period will now be possible to ensure far-reaching public participation and feedback from across the State.

July 1, 2005 - BASIX delivers better quality homes to all NSW

Assistant Planning Minister Diane Beamer officially launched BASIX for regional NSW. BASIX now applies to all new single homes and dual occupancies across the state.

June 23, 2005 - New implementation date for BASIX for Multi-Unit Residential Developments

As announced by Minister Knowles in Parliament this afternoon, BASIX for Multi-Units will be voluntary for three months, from 1 July 2005. This decision was taken to provide industry with an additional three months to prepare for the 1 October implementation.

From 1 July, industry will be able to enter multi-unit residential developments in the new BASIX tool, print Certificates and lodge the Certificate with their development applications, if they choose to. BASIX will be mandatory for multi-unit residential developments from 1 October, when a development application must be lodged with a BASIX Certificate.

The implementation date for BASIX for single dwellings and dual occupancies across NSW remains 1 July 2005.

May 16, 2005 - CPD points now available for BASIX sessions

Office of Fair Trading contractor licence holders are now eligible for CPD points when attending BASIX sessions:

• Briefing session = 4 points
• Training session = 5 points

When registering for a session, you must enter your licence number, and sign the attendance form on the day. A record of attendance will then be emailed to you after the session.

Click here to see the briefing and training sessions.

April 19, 2005 - BASIX Wins National Urban Planning Award

BASIX was awarded the Planning Institute of Australia's national Urban Planning Achievement Award at a ceremony during the organisation's annual congress on Tuesday, 19 April.

National Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) President Marcus Spiller presented the BASIX "Urban Planning Achievement Award", one of 12 awards given to some 25 projects and individuals from across Australia at the event in Melbourne.

Bruce Taper, Director of Sustainability at DIPNR, presented an overview of BASIX, its achievements to date and future targets for state-wide roll out, at the Planning Institure's National Congress the following day. Taper was one of more than 100 presenters at the annual PIA event.

Last year, BASIX received the President'ss overall and the Urban Planning Achievement awards of the NSW Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) and a Gold award in the Environment category of the NSW Premier's Public Sector Awards.

January 1, 2005 - End of Building Agreement Savings Provision

The savings provision in the Regulation that enabled a person to be exempt from BASIX if a building agreement was entered into before 1 July 2004 no longer applies. All development applications for single dwellings and dual occupancies in Sydney must now be accompanied by a BASIX Certificate.