Plumbing Amendment Regulations 2012
Authorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel
Authorised Version
i
Plumbing Amendment Regulations 2012
S.R. No. 113/2012
TABLE OF PROVISIONS
Regulation Page
1 Objective 1
2 Authorising provisions 1
3 Commencement 1
4 Principal Regulations 2
5 Definitions 2
6 Modifications to the Plumbing Code of Australia 2
7 Type B gasfitting work 2
8 Amendment of definition of solar water heater 3
9 Requirements where rainwater is used for sanitary flushing 3
10 Substitution of clause 15 and new clauses 15A and 15B in
Schedule 2 3
15 Requirements relating to solar water heaters—
all buildings 3
15A Requirements relating to solar water heaters—
Class 1 buildings 4
15B Requirements relating to solar water heaters—
new Class 1 buildings 6
11 Amendment of Schedule 3 8
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ENDNOTES 9
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Authorised Version
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STATUTORY RULES 2012
S.R. No. 113/2012
Building Act 1993
Plumbing Amendment Regulations 2012
The Lieutenant-Governor as the Governor's deputy with the
advice of the Executive Council makes the following
Regulations:
Dated: 16 October 2012
Responsible Minister:
MATTHEW GUY
Minister for Planning
MATTHEW McBEATH
Clerk of the Executive Council
1 Objective
The objective of these Regulations is to amend the
Plumbing Regulations 2008—
(a) in relation to energy efficiency measures;
and
(b) to make further miscellaneous amendments.
2 Authorising provisions
These Regulations are made under sections
221ZZZV, 221ZZZW and 262 of the Building
Act 1993.
3 Commencement
(1) These Regulations (except regulations 5(1), 8
and 10) come into operation on 19 October 2012.
(2) Regulations 5(1), 8 and 10 come into operation on
19 April 2013.
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4 Principal Regulations
In these Regulations the Plumbing Regulations
20081 are called the Principal Regulations.
5 Definitions
(1) In regulation 5 of the Principal Regulations—
(a) the definition of AS 4234 is revoked;
(b) insert the following definition—
"AS/NZS 4234 means AS/NZS 4234 Heated
water systems—Calculation of energy
consumption, as issued, published or
remade from time to time;".
(2) In regulation 5 of the Principal Regulations—
(a) the definition of disconnect/reconnect
licence is revoked;
(b) insert the following definition—
"Restricted electrical worker's licence
(Class 2) has the same meaning as it
has in the Electricity Safety
(Registration and Licensing)
Regulations 2010 and includes a
disconnect/reconnect licence that is
treated as a Restricted electrical
worker's licence (Class 2) under
regulation 42 of those Regulations;".
6 Modifications to the Plumbing Code of Australia
In regulation 9(2) of the Principal Regulations, for
"Table A1.3" (where twice occurring) substitute
"Table A3.1".
7 Type B gasfitting work
In regulation 23(3) of the Principal Regulations,
for "GJ/h" substitute "MJ/h".
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8 Amendment of definition of solar water heater
In clause 10 of Schedule 2 to the Principal
Regulations, in paragraph (a) of the definition of
solar water heater, for "container which may be
integral, close coupled or remote, and which heats
water by means of radiant energy from the sun
and may include" substitute "container (that may
be integral, close coupled or remote) that heats
water by means of radiant energy from the sun
and includes".
9 Requirements where rainwater is used for sanitary
flushing
For the note at the foot of clause 14 of Schedule 2
to the Principal Regulations substitute—
"Note
The Victorian variation to the energy efficiency provisions
of the Building Code of Australia (as incorporated by the
building regulations) provides that the energy efficiency
performance requirement for a new Class 1 building is
satisfied if either a rainwater tank is connected to all sanitary
flushing systems or a solar water heater is installed in
accordance with these Regulations.".
10 Substitution of clause 15 and new clauses 15A
and 15B in Schedule 2
For clause 15 of Schedule 2 to the Principal
Regulations substitute—
'15 Requirements relating to solar water
heaters—all buildings
(1) The solar collectors contained in a solar
water heater installed in a building must—
(a) be oriented to face between 30 degrees
east and 60 degrees west of magnetic
north; and
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(b) have an inclination of 35 degrees plus
or minus 20 degrees to the horizontal.
Note
For additional requirements relating to a solar water
heater installed in a Class 1 building, see clauses 15A
and 15B.
(2) Subclause (1) does not apply to a new
Class 1 building if—
(a) a solar water heater is installed in the
building in order to comply with the
building regulations; and
(b) the solar water heater installed is
evaluated and performs to the standard
required under clause 15B(1); and
(c) it is not practicable to comply with
subclause (1).
15A Requirements relating to solar water
heaters—Class 1 buildings
(1) The annual energy performance of a solar
water heater installed in a Class 1 building, if
evaluated in accordance with AS/NZS 4234,
must be evaluated in accordance with that
standard as modified by subclause (2).
(2) For the purposes of subclause (1),
AS/NZS 4234 is to be read as if—
(a) the following clause were inserted after
clause 1.4.17—
"1.4.17A Solar water heater
A system for heating water
consisting of—
(a) a solar collector and a
container (that may be
integral, close coupled or
remote) that heats water by
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means of radiant energy
from the sun and includes—
(i) a single container solar
water heater with
electric or gas boosting;
or
(ii) 2 or more solar pre-heat
containers connected to
each other and to an
electric booster or gas
booster; or
(iii) a solar pre-heater
coupled with a
conventional storage
water heater; or
(iv) any other solar powered
heater configuration
that incorporates a
heater referred to in
subparagraph (i) and a
component referred to
in subparagraph (ii); or
(b) a heat pump water heater.";
and
(b) the following clause were inserted after
clause 3.3—
"3.3A THERMAL ENERGY LOADS
FOR EVALUATING SOLAR
WATER HEATERS IN
CLASS 1 BUILDINGS
Despite Clause 3.3, the following
load and environmental conditions
in Appendix A must be adopted
for evaluating the annual energy
use of a solar water heater
installed in a Class 1 building—
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(a) climate zone 4 for all
simulation model inputs; and
(b) for a building with less than
3 bedrooms—the small
system peak daily thermal
energy load, as set out in
Table A3; and
(c) for a building with 3 or more
bedrooms—the medium
system peak daily thermal
energy load, as set out in
Table A3; and
(d) the collector inclination and
azimuth modelled to the
North orientation, as set out
in Table A1.".
15B Requirements relating to solar water
heaters—new Class 1 buildings
(1) A solar water heater installed in a new
Class 1 building, in order to comply with the
requirements of the building regulations,
must—
(a) have its annual energy performance
evaluated in accordance with
AS/NZS 4234 as modified by
clause 15A(2); and
(b) perform to a standard under which the
energy savings, relative to a
conventional water heater, are 60% or
more when so evaluated.
(2) A solar water heater installed in a new
Class 1 building must have attached to the
heater's water heater storage container a
legible label that is in the following form and
contains the information required to
complete the label—
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"This solar water heater installation
complies with the Plumbing
Regulations 2008 (Victoria) when
installed with the following collectors
No. of bedrooms in
building 1-2 3 or more
Number of collectors
installed in building
Model number of each
collector installed in
building
".
(3) Subclause (2) does not apply to a heat pump
water heater.
(4) If a reticulated gas supply from a gas
company is available for connection to a new
Class 1 building, a solar water heater
installed in that building must be—
(a) if it incorporates booster heating and is
not a heat pump water heater—a gas
boosted solar water heater; and
(b) if it is a heat pump water heater—
installed so that no part of the heater
that is capable of heating water can be
connected to the mains electricity
supply in order for that part of the
heater to operate.
Note
The Victorian variation to the energy efficiency
provisions of the Building Code of Australia
(as incorporated by the building regulations) provides
that the energy efficiency performance requirement
for a new Class 1 building is satisfied if either a
rainwater tank is connected to all sanitary flushing
systems or a solar water heater is installed in
accordance with these Regulations.'.
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11 Amendment of Schedule 3
In Part 2 of Schedule 3 to the Principal
Regulations, for "disconnect/reconnect licence"
(wherever occurring) substitute "Restricted
electrical worker's licence (Class 2)".
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ENDNOTES
1 Reg. 4: S.R. No. 136/2008 as amended by S.R. Nos 82/2009, 51/2010,
14/2011, 21/2011, 49/2011 and 64/2012.
——
Table of Applied, Adopted or Incorporated Matter
The following table of applied, adopted or incorporated matter is included in
accordance with the requirements of regulation 5 of the Subordinate Legislation
Regulations 2004.
Statutory rule
provision
Title of applied, adopted or
incorporated document
Matter in
applied,
adopted or
incorporated
document
Regulation 5(1)(b),
which inserts the
definition of
AS/NZS 4234 in the
Principal Regulations
AS/NZS 4234—2008 Heated
water systems—Calculation
of energy consumption,
published by Standards
Australia 21 August 2008,
reissued November 2011
The whole
Regulation 10, which
substitutes clause 15
and inserts clauses
15A and 15B in
Schedule 2 to the
Principal Regulations
AS/NZS 4234—2008 Heated
water systems—Calculation
of energy consumption,
published by Standards
Australia 21 August 2008,
reissued November 2011
The whole
Endnotes
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