NCC 2025 Has Landed: 7 Stars Stays, and the Rules Pause Until 2029
The new National Construction Code is out: no jump to 8 stars, a regulation pause to mid-2029, and quieter changes to thermal bridging and glazing documentation that still matter.
After a delayed cycle, the new edition of the National Construction Code was published in February 2026 and began adoption from May 2026. If you were bracing for another jump in energy requirements, the news is calmer than expected: the residential energy provisions largely carry over, the 7-star NatHERS minimum stays where it is, and building ministers have agreed to pause new residential regulation changes until mid-2029. But a few quieter refinements will show up in your documentation – here is the practical read for NSW projects.
What did not change
- The 7-star minimum stands. No move to 8 stars. The thermal performance bar set by NCC 2022 remains the national floor, and in NSW the equivalent targets continue to flow through BASIX.
- Whole-of-Home requirements continue. The energy budget covering heating, cooling, hot water and lighting carries on in its established form.
- No new residential energy mandates. The anticipated additional residential energy efficiency changes did not proceed in this edition.
The pause: certainty until mid-2029
The headline decision sitting behind this edition is the agreement to pause new residential building regulation changes until mid-2029. For builders and owners this is rare planning certainty: the design you standardise on today will not be regulated out from under you next cycle. For anyone who was waiting to build “before the rules tighten again” – the pressure is off, and the smart move now is optimising within the current framework rather than racing a deadline.
The quiet changes that still matter
| Change | Who feels it |
|---|---|
| More conservative default thermal bridging assumptions for steel-framed external walls | Steel-frame builders – ratings dip unless the frame detail is modelled properly or thermal breaks are added |
| Whole-of-Home calculations explicitly pick up battery storage and EV-ready provisions | Anyone adding a battery – the model now credits it cleanly |
| Glazing schedules need manufacturer-certified U-values | Everyone – generic glazing assumptions in documentation are on the way out |
The steel-framing item deserves attention in NSW where steel frames are common. Default assumptions now cost more stars than they used to, which makes proper modelling of the actual frame system – rather than accepting defaults – worth real money in avoided over-specification elsewhere.
What NSW builders and owners should do
- Standardise confidently. With the framework stable to 2029, a properly optimised standard design pays back on every repeat – the logic behind our builder packages.
- Get glazing documentation right. Ask your window supplier for certified performance data early; it is now a documentation requirement, not a nicety.
- Steel-frame projects: model, do not default. The new defaults are conservative – a real assessment of your frame detail usually rates better.
- Batteries now count properly. If you are considering storage, it can legitimately help your Whole-of-Home result – more on that in our next post.
Frequently asked questions
Do the changes affect my current DA or CC? Projects are assessed under the code edition in force per the transition rules for your approval pathway – your certifier confirms which edition applies. Existing certificates are not invalidated.
Is NSW adopting it exactly? NSW adopts the NCC with state variations, and BASIX remains the NSW delivery mechanism for residential energy targets. The practical targets for your home are unchanged.
Will 8 stars come in 2029? Unknown. What is known is that nothing new lands before mid-2029, so decisions made today have a stable runway.
Sources: ABCB – energy efficiency, energy.gov.au – NCC updates. Unsure which rules hit your project? Ask us – fixed-fee answers within one business day.
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