Delivering sustainable, energy efficient homes with Plantation Homes

At A&L, we’re committed to making energy efficiency as easy and effective as possible.

As part of that commitment, we’re catching up with some of our long-term partners and collaborators to unpack what’s important for builders, energy raters, and buyers, and what the future holds for energy efficient windows and doors.

Founded in 1989 by three friends, Henley Properties Group has delivered 50,000 homes across Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia under the brands Plantation Homes, Henley, and Edgewater Homes, with a vision to make home ownership more affordable for Australian families.

Plantation Homes has delivered over 15,000 homes, uniquely designed and built for Queenslanders. The team focuses on the delivery of seamless customer experience and high-quality homes that provide exceptional family living well into the future. Energy efficiency plays a significant role in that approach, given it contributes to reduced money spent on bills and improved year-round comfort. We caught up with Mark Hampshire, Plantation Homes’ Operations Manager, to discuss the team’s approach, navigating the NCC’s 2022 updates to code, and more.

Navigating updates to code: a successful relaunch based on preparation and education

The National Construction Code’s 2022 updates were significant and extensive. For Plantation Homes, it was a time of significant change and opportunity. Mark elaborates:

“The NCC 2022 change was probably one of the most major changes we’ve ever seen in the industry. There were the liveable standards that came into play. There were new plumbing standards that came into play. And there was the requirement for 7-star energy efficiency that also came into play, all within the same update. The nature and extent of these changes meant that many builders needed to assess their products and designs, and in some cases, start from scratch to meet those requirements.”

“2022 wasn’t like other NCC changes, where it may have been a brick gauge or something highly technical where you can adjust to accommodate new requirements.”

With those NCC 2022 updates coming into play and all the research that was required to relaunch our product, it was much easier based on the products and resources that A&L have to offer. – Mark Hampshire, Operations Manager, Plantation Homes

“At Plantation Homes, we saw that significant change as an opportunity to reset. Every builder had to go through those changes because of national code updates. So, it’s an opportunity to improve our offering and do things better than our competitors, but also better than we ever have before. We were able to use the resources we had on hand, and in partnership with A&L, to deliver something that’s best for our customers.”

Energy efficiency made accessible and easy to understand

An increased focus on energy efficiency—or any significant updates to code—can require upskilling across the various departments in a volume builder. At A&L, we have the approach and experience to make the transition smooth, efficient, and effective.

“The relaunch required windows and window performance to be considered. Particularly, information like u-values and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) values and glazing types, and more. All that information and documentation was provided as well as standard window sizes: whenever we needed it, with all the support on hand if we ever needed to question anything.”

“Additionally, to speed up the process, A&L worked directly with our energy rating partner to make sure things were very quickly resolved and all questions were answered.” You can learn more about our approach to partnering with energy raters here.

“Throughout that transition, A&L made a concerted effort to be present and be part of our business. We had people come in to do training sessions with our draftees and estimators. Sessions with our tender presenters, our sales consultants, and our administration team. It was complete support the whole way through—a holistic approach where everyone in the business can rely on getting the support they need, when they need it.”

The level of service your team has offered and your commitment to integrating yourselves to support us, it’s obvious to say it’s a genuine partnership. It’s not just a case of ‘send us a purchase order and we’ll send some windows to the site’. – Mark Hampshire, Operations Manager, Plantation Homes

The value of rigorous assessment in compliance and minimising risk

Plantation Homes prides itself on providing exceptional customer experience for families and home buyers: from their very first interaction all the way through when they move into their new home and beyond. As a partner and collaborator, it’s important we mirror that approach when working with the team at Plantation—committing to transparent, dedicated support from the very start.

“We put so much work in to get things right [in terms of compliance with the NCC 2022 update] to be transparent to our customers. So that when they buy a home with us, they have utmost confidence that everything is compliant.”

“The worst-case scenario is when those considerations haven’t been taken care of [for compliance] and the customer buys a product. Hypothetically, if it’s assessed and that product then doesn’t meet compliance, there could be redesigns or significant changes to windows, or costs associated with achieving compliance. That’s obviously not ideal from anyone’s perspective, and a large driver for the work we’ve done with A&L to avoid those scenarios.”

“It’s been easier to meet our compliance obligations and provide exceptional homes for our customers. The performance of A&L’s windows, just having them in the house, and the way they’ve been applied by our design team have met the stringent requirements of the NCC’s 2022 updates. At the same time, the level of service your team has offered, making yourselves integrated into our team and the support you’ve provided has been really valuable. I don’t know that every business offers that level of service and partnership.”

Looking for guidance with energy efficiency?

If you’re building or designing a home and you need some experienced technical guidance to meet—or understand—energy efficiency requirements, get in contact with our team today.