Designing All-Electric Class 1a Homes

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Price

A$99.00

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Course Content

I. Introduction (2 minutes)
II. Learning Objectives (2 minutes)
IV. V. Module 2: Specifying the All-Electric Systems (12 minutes)
V. Module 3: Where All-Electric Design Gets Flagged (14 minutes)
VII. Case Studies (5 minutes)
VIII. Summary & Key Takeaways (1 minute)
Final Quiz – Designing All-Electric Class 1a Homes

This course equips building designers with the knowledge and practical skills needed to design, document, and defend all-electric Class 1a homes under current Australian regulatory frameworks. Participants will learn how NCC whole-of-home requirements, NatHERS assessments, and state-based gas connection policies influence residential design decisions. The course explores the specification and integration of key all-electric systems, including heat-pump hot water, induction cooking, reverse-cycle heating and cooling, and solar PV with future battery and EV provisions. It also examines common documentation, coordination, and compliance issues that can lead to certification delays or project redesigns. Through practical workflows, case studies, and client communication strategies, designers will gain confidence in delivering compliant, future-ready all-electric homes.

This CPD provides general guidance on professional responsibilities and documentation practices. It does not constitute legal advice or replace project-specific contractual or statutory obligations.

  • CPD Points: 1 Formal CPD Point
  • Duration: 1 hour
  • Certificate Upon Completion
  • Difficulty Level: Intermediate

This session is designed for

Building Designers
Architects
NatHERS Energy Assessors
Licensed Builders
Building Surveyors

By the end of this course, you will understand the regulatory requirements, compliance pathways, and design principles that underpin all-electric Class 1a homes. You will be able to confidently specify and document all-electric systems, avoid common compliance and coordination pitfalls, and guide clients through informed decisions that support high-performing, future-ready residential projects. You will also learn how to coordinate effectively with energy assessors, electricians, and certifiers while maintaining clear professional boundaries. In addition, you will develop practical workflows and client communication strategies that help protect all-electric specifications from redesign, substitution, and compliance risks throughout the project lifecycle.

  • Explain the regulatory and policy drivers influencing all-electric Class 1a residential design.
  • Identify and prevent common documentation, coordination, and compliance issues that can delay approvals or affect project outcomes.
  • Distinguish between NatHERS thermal performance requirements and whole-of-home energy and emissions assessments.
  • Develop clear and consistent documentation workflows that support successful all-electric project delivery.
  • Specify and integrate key all-electric systems, including heat-pump hot water, induction cooking, reverse-cycle heating and cooling, and solar PV.
  • Communicate the benefits, costs, compliance requirements, and long-term value of all-electric homes to clients and project stakeholders with confidence.

This ensures that CPD efforts align with professional regulatory requirements.

Framework/Body

Relevant Sections

Focus Areas

National Construction Code (NCC 2022 / NCC 2025 transition)

Volume Two Energy Efficiency provisions; Whole-of-Home pathway; Class 1a compliance; documentation and coordination requirements

Whole-of-home compliance; energy efficiency; all-electric residential design; documentation; compliance workflow; consultant coordination

NatHERS Protocols

Thermal performance; Whole-of-Home assessment inputs; appliance selection; energy modelling

7-Star thermal performance; Whole-of-Home pathway; heat pumps; induction; reverse-cycle; PV integration

ABSA CPD Competency Area

Residential energy efficiency; NatHERS assessment coordination; compliance documentation

Building fabric performance; energy assessment inputs; documentation quality; interdisciplinary coordination

Building Designers

Residential design; documentation; specification writing; consultant coordination; client communication

All-electric design strategy; construction documentation; compliance; workflow development; risk reduction

NSCA 2021 (Architects)

PC12, PC20, PC31, PC33, PC46

PC12 is directly applicable because the course focuses on interpreting and applying the NCC 2025, state gas-connection regulations, and compliance pathways for Class 1a homes. PC20 is relevant as participants must assess compliance requirements, project constraints and statutory obligations when specifying all-electric systems. PC31 is a core competency because the course centres on environmental sustainability, whole-of-home energy performance, electrification, operational carbon reduction and integrating energy-efficient systems over the building lifecycle. PC33 aligns with the integration of sustainable environmental systems—including heat-pump hot water, reverse-cycle HVAC, solar PV, batteries and EV infrastructure—into residential design. PC46 is highly relevant because a significant portion of the course is devoted to embedding all-electric decisions into construction documentation, specifications and coordinated drawing sets to avoid certification issues and protect design intent.

Engineers Australia (Stage 2)

Multidisciplinary coordination with electrical, mechanical and energy consultants

Building services integration; systems coordination; electrical provisioning; sustainable building performance

Licensed Builders (State CPD)

Residential construction practices; documentation interpretation; installation sequencing

Construction coordination; buildability; all-electric system implementation; specification compliance

Building Surveyors

Building approval documentation; NCC compliance verification; RFIs

Compliance assessment; documentation review; certification requirements; regulatory interpretation

What’s Included

This course examines the practical challenges building designers face as all-electric residential construction becomes the norm across Australia. It covers the regulatory and policy landscape driving gas out of new homes, including how the NCC whole-of-home energy and emissions budget works and how state-by-state gas connection rules vary. The course then moves through the four core electric systems a Class 1a dwelling requires, namely heat-pump hot water, induction cooking, reverse-cycle heating and cooling, and solar with battery and EV provisioning, and how to specify and place them within the compliance pathway. It addresses the documentation and coordination failures most likely to draw certifier questions, from switchboard capacity to hot-water unit siting to the risks of removing gas late in the design process. Finally, it develops a repeatable workflow for embedding all-electric decisions into the drawing set and specification, alongside a client-facing case for upfront cost, running costs, and comfort that protects the specification from value-engineering pressure.

  • A 1-hour video session covering NCC-aligned strategies and real-world case studies.
  • An interactive quiz to test and reinforce knowledge.
  • An audio summary version via NotebookLM for flexible, on-the-go learning.
  • A downloadable certificate of completion for CPD compliance reporting.
  • Centralised CPD tracking dashboard to support audits and personal recordkeeping.

Why Take This CPD Session?

Understand why all-electric design is now landing on your projects and what actually binds each job, so you can read any residential project’s compliance baseline with confidence before you document anything.

Learn to specify and place the four core all-electric systems within the NatHERS and whole-of-home pathway, and avoid the documentation and coordination failures that draw certifier RFIs and force costly redesigns.

Develop a repeatable all-electric documentation workflow and a client conversation that holds your specification together from concept to handover, even under value-engineering pressure.

Professional development is an investment in career growth and regulatory compliance. Take the next step today.