Andrew Barr is announcing new legislation to codify the regulation of the nice people with clipboards who decide how many stars your house has for energy efficiency.
People need to feel confident about the system and that they are getting what they paid for. That’s why I want to bring energy assessors under the same licensing and regulation systems that apply to other construction occupations in the ACT.
To date assessors have been regulated by a code of conduct. However the need to continue to improve the energy efficiency of housing; tackle climate change; improve the sustainability of homes and reduce energy use means energy efficiency programs need to be effective.
The new laws will provide better regulation of energy assessors and will give the ACT Planning and Land Authority (ACTPLA) more power to enforce standards.
The new laws will be supported by increased auditing of energy ratings and ongoing education programs for assessors. Two extra staff will be employed to increase the level of auditing to 5 per cent of all work undertaken by assessors. In a year more than 10,000 energy assessments are undertaken in the ACT.
The same systems applying to other construction occupations you say? Under ACTPLA?