This report assesses the extent to which it would be feasible for the non-residential building sector as a whole, and for individual building forms, to achieve net zero energy and/or greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The potential strategies to reach this goal that are analysed in this study include:

• cost-effective increases in minimum energy performance requirements in the National Construction Code (NCC, or the Code) over time
• cost-effective levels of solar generation on new non-residential buildings
• cost-effective enhancements to existing national and state/territory policy measures.

The underlying objective – to enable greater predictability of future Code energy performance requirements – has been identified both by the COAG Energy Council and by the building industry. Providing a forward trajectory or pathway for cost-effective Code settings is designed to enable industry to better plan its innovation, education/training and commercial strategies. This in turn is expected to improve certainty for investment and provide additional time for the industry to anticipate and accommodate likely future Code increases.