Evantaa Institute Editorial Team | Industry News | 25 September 2026 | 6 min read
If you’re training in carpentry or building and construction in Melbourne or Brisbane, a new rule buried inside the National Construction Code 2025 is about to change what “normal” looks like on a commercial building site. Most new offices, shops, warehouses and other commercial buildings will now need to be built with rooftop solar panels fitted as standard — not as an optional extra a client adds later. For students planning a career in commercial construction, this is worth understanding now, well before it shows up as a line item on your first project.
Information checked on: 25 September 2026. This article summarises publicly available information about NCC 2025’s commercial energy efficiency provisions from the Housing Industry Association, building compliance publications and state government announcements. It is general industry information only, not compliance, engineering or building-certification advice — always confirm current requirements with the Australian Building Codes Board, a licensed building surveyor or your state building authority before relying on them for a project.
What’s Actually Changing
The National Construction Code (NCC) is reviewed every three years, and NCC 2025 is the current edition. Evantaa covered the code’s broader rollout back in August, including the different adoption timelines in Victoria and Queensland. Since then, one specific change has attracted a lot of attention in the commercial construction industry: a new mandatory on-site solar requirement sitting inside Section J, the part of the code that governs commercial building energy efficiency.
Under the new provisions, most new Class 3 and Class 5–9 buildings — hotels and motels, offices, shops and cafés, warehouses and storage buildings, factories, and public buildings such as schools and healthcare facilities — along with the common areas of new apartment buildings, must now include rooftop solar as part of the design, not as something added on after the building is finished. According to building compliance advisers who have analysed the new clause, compliance generally comes down to one of two approaches: covering all of the roof space that’s actually usable for solar (once shading, plant equipment, access walkways and obstructions are excluded), or meeting a minimum system size set out in a reference table based on the building’s class and climate zone — whichever figure turns out to be smaller for that particular building.
Buildings that keep gas appliances are reportedly expected to install additional solar capacity to help offset the emissions from that gas use. The requirement generally applies to new builds and major redevelopments, rather than retroactively to buildings that already exist and aren’t being significantly altered.
When It Applies in Victoria and Queensland
The two states Evantaa’s campuses call home are moving at different speeds, which is genuinely useful to know if you’re planning where to build your career.
| State | Mandatory NCC 2025 adoption | Voluntary early adoption |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 1 May 2026 (already in effect) | Not applicable — already mandatory |
| Queensland | 1 May 2027 | Available from 1 May 2026 |
Victoria adopted NCC 2025 on schedule from 1 May 2026, so the solar requirement already applies to eligible new commercial projects there. Queensland, alongside New South Wales and the ACT, deferred mandatory adoption by twelve months to 1 May 2027, citing rising construction costs and pressure on an already stretched building sector — though builders in Queensland can choose to adopt the new code voluntarily from 1 May 2026 if a project suits it. Until the mandatory date arrives, NCC 2022 continues to apply to building work in Queensland.
Why This Matters If You’re Training in Carpentry or Building and Construction
Evantaa doesn’t train electricians, and this article isn’t suggesting a career change into solar installation. What it does mean is that the people who frame roofs, supervise builds and coordinate trades on commercial sites are going to be working around solar infrastructure as a matter of course, not as an unusual add-on.
For carpentry students, that means roof structures on commercial jobs increasingly need to be built with mounting rails, cable runs, access walkways and maintenance clearances in mind from the framing stage — decisions made early in a build that are expensive and difficult to fix later if they’re missed. For students working toward a Certificate IV in Building and Construction, it means one more trade to schedule, one more compliance requirement to check off before a certificate of occupancy is issued, and one more reason site supervisors need to understand how different trades’ work depends on each other.
None of this requires an electrical licence. It does reward builders and carpenters who can read a set of plans that include solar infrastructure, ask the right questions of the solar subcontractor, and understand why the sequencing of a job has changed. That’s a genuinely useful, practical skill to start building now, while you’re still training.
What This Means for Commercial Construction Activity
A mandatory design requirement like this tends to flow through to construction activity more broadly. Commercial builders, project managers and site supervisors are having to update standard practice, documentation and staff training to reflect the new provisions — and that kind of shift in a growing city like Melbourne or Brisbane generally means steady demand for skilled workers across the trades involved in commercial fit-out and construction, not just the solar-specific ones. As with any industry trend, this is a signal worth being aware of, not a guarantee of a particular job, project or outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply to houses, or only commercial buildings?
This particular requirement sits within Section J, which covers commercial buildings (Class 3 and Class 5–9) and the common areas of apartment buildings. Residential energy efficiency requirements for standalone houses are covered elsewhere in the code and aren’t the focus of this article.
Do I need an electrical qualification to work on a site with mandatory solar?
No. Installing and connecting solar panels remains licensed electrical work. What’s changing for carpentry and building and construction students is the need to understand how solar infrastructure affects roof design, sequencing and site coordination — not a requirement to install the panels yourself.
Is the rule already in effect in Melbourne?
Yes. Victoria adopted NCC 2025, including this provision, from 1 May 2026.
When does it start in Brisbane?
Mandatory adoption in Queensland is set for 1 May 2027, though some builders may choose to adopt the new code voluntarily from 1 May 2026.
Where can I find the official details?
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) publishes the full National Construction Code and official guidance material. For state-specific implementation questions, contact the Victorian Building Authority or the Queensland Building and Construction Commission.
A Practical Next Step
Understanding how a building actually goes together — including the trades and compliance requirements that now sit alongside your own — is part of what makes a strong site carpenter or building supervisor. Explore Evantaa’s current building and construction qualifications on the Our Courses page, or get in touch with the Melbourne or Brisbane campus team to find out more.
Sources
- NCC 2025 adopted in Victoria 1 May 2026, HIA — hia.com.au (accessed 25 September 2026)
- NCC 2025 Is Delayed in QLD and NSW: What That Means for Your Business, The Good Builder — thegoodbuilder.com.au (accessed 25 September 2026)
- Mandatory On-Site Solar for Commercial Buildings Under NCC 2025, Torple — torple.au (accessed 25 September 2026)
- NCC 2025 released, Australian Building Codes Board — abcb.gov.au (referenced; confirm current details directly with the ABCB)
- Evantaa Institute — Australia’s New Building Code Has Landed: What NCC 2025 Means for Trade Students in Melbourne and Brisbane (7 August 2026)
Information checked on: 25 September 2026. Evantaa Institute is an Australian vocational education provider, RTO 45866 and CRICOS Provider Code 04025C, with campuses in Melbourne and Brisbane. This article provides general industry information only, not compliance, engineering or building-certification advice. Course and qualification details should always be confirmed at evantaa.edu.au.