Compliance with Section J can be met by either DTS or JV3 (which includes DTS too) pathway. We provide a sound advice on which pathway is relevant to you.

National Construction Code 2019 (NC2019), formerly known as BCA, Volume 1, Section J sets out energy efficiency requirements for Class 3-9 buildings. Section J reports outline the minimum glazing and insulation requirements so that building achieve compliance with NCC2019 Section J.

A Deemed to Satisfy report (DTS) report is also known as an Elemental Provisions report. This report analyses whether the elements of a building are in accordance with Volume 1 of the NCC2019.

The primary elements that are analysed include the roof/ceilings, walls, floors, glazing, and air movement, with glazing being the most important.

The purpose of the Deemed to Satisfy (DTS) report is to make sure that the thermal performance of the construction around conditioned spaces is sufficient so that the building’s interior remains cool in summers and warm in winters.

The DTS report has a strict pass or fail criteria with no flexibility, making it relatively straightforward compared to the JV3 report.

JV3 Report is an alternate method to DTS report. This assessment is presented when the Deemed to Satisfy (DTS) requirements are too onerous.

A JV3 verification method compares a reference building design with design intent. It assesses the energy consumption and GHG emissions for both the buildings based on the climate, location and building fabric. This verification method is quite flexible as compared to Deemed to Satisfy (DTS) report, as we can assess a suitable glazing and insulation as per your needs while achieving compliance with Section J. As JV3 has more design flexibility, the result is a rational, resulting in lower construction costs and higher energy performance.

A JV3 Assessment is quite detailed and requires around 5 business days (depending on size of project) for completion and issuance.

Deemed to Satisfy and JV3 are both aimed at improving energy-efficiency of the buildings; however, they are quite different from each other.

For a building design to comply with the Deemed to Satisfy (DTS), every single component of the building must comply with the NC2019. This includes the roof, ceilings, walls, floors, glazing, and air movement. DTS reports are less time consuming to produce, however,  the construction cost of the buildings is comparatively higher sometimes due to onerous insulation and glazing requirements.

On the other hand, a JV3 Assessment is detailed and in-depth. It does not check individual elements; in fact, it assesses the whole building to ensure that it is in accordance with the NC2019 objective of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) reduction.

JV3 pathway requires to prepare a 3D model of a reference building, complete with the calculation of its annual energy consumption, which complies with the Deemed to Satisfy (DTS) requirements.