As governments invest in residential precincts to combat the housing crisis, councils must ensure that all new dwellings meet new energy efficiency requirements under the National Construction Code, which include minimum EV charger standards.
The updated requirements for new housing under the National Construction Code 2022 have been in effect since 1 May 2024.
The NCC sets out the requirements for the design and construction of buildings in Australia, including aspects like plumbing and drainage, and energy efficiency. It sets the minimum required level for the safety, health, amenity, accessibility and sustainability of certain developments.
With the electric vehicle (EV) industry one of the fastest growing industries in the world, all levels of government, businesses and the public are steering towards EVs at a steadily accelerating pace, and developing EV charging solutions to get ahead of this growth is currently a high priority.
Under the new NCC standards, all new parking spaces for apartment buildings must include space for switchboards and EV charging infrastructure.
Additionally, ten per cent of parking spaces in new office and retail developments must be EV ready, as must 20 per cent of parking spaces in all other commercial developments.
With the State and Federal Governments having set ambitious housing targets, councils are eager to ensure that new residential housing gets built, particularly in metropolitan areas where apartment developments will contribute significantly to meeting housing goals.
As councils work to undertake these important residential developments, as well as provide supporting structures like office, retail and commercial buildings, it is important that they are aware of the EV infrastructure requirements.
Councils should also keep themselves appraised of the best providers of switchboards and EV infrastructure to ensure they’re meeting the NCC requirements with cost effective, quality products.
NHP offers the most comprehensive EV charging solutions in Australia and New Zealand.
The first plank to an NCC compliant EV charging solution is a dedicated electric vehicle distribution board (EV DB). NHP makes it easy to comply with the new requirements via a standardised EV DB in the Concept Plus panel board range. These EV DBs are AS/NZS 61439 design verified, IP42 rated with 36mm space per charger for metering.
NHP’s load management solution, EnergySync™, can be incorporated into the Concept Plus EV DBs. EnergySync is suitable for buildings including apartment complexes, offices and commercial buildings, and is designed to ensure that EV charging does not overload the building’s network during peak load hours.
NHP also offers a range of charging products, from its flexible Delta AC Max to the strong and robust steel cased Delta DC Wallbox and DC City Charger.
NHP’s wide variety of EV chargers range from AC 7kW through to DC 350kW.
Many of its products feature smart functionality with Ethernet, Wi-Fi or SIM card connectivity, allowing operators to remotely access and control chargers.
NHP’s EnergySync load management system and EV chargers can effectively be integrated with the Concept Plus EV DB to create a robust and flexible EV charging system.
NHP products boast easy installation, the standard NHP service warranty (with an option for extended warranty and maintenance packages up to five years), and the full backing and support of NHP’s expert team.
For more information, visit nhp.com.au/products/electric-vehicle-infrastructure
