The NCC Case for a People Counting Solution

The days of treating occupancy sensors as an afterthought resolved by facilities management post-handover are over. Between lighting and HVAC control requirements under the National Construction Code (NCC), demand-controlled ventilation under AS 1668.2:2024, and Green Star performance targets, occupancy sensing belongs directly in the initial design brief.

This applies to both new builds and major refurbishments.  Shopping centres, libraries, councils, and commercial developments trigger these compliance demands the moment they upgrade lighting, ventilation, or reporting systems. The question is not whether you need sensors, but which people counting solution provides the hardware, software, and dedicated support to keep your building compliant for its entire lifecycle. 

Three Core Compliance Drivers

• Lighting: The NCC requires internal lighting to run on time switches, overridden by occupant sensing wherever people are present. Networked controls with integrated occupancy sensing typically reduce lighting energy usage by 40% to 50%.
• HVAC: NCC Section J demands systems scale back in unused spaces. AS 1668.2:2024 mandates dynamic responses to variable occupancy, cutting HVAC energy costs by 15% to 30%.
• Performance Reporting: Green Star rewards buildings that back sustainability claims with actual metering and monitoring data, eliminating assumptions.

As NCC 2025 rolls out across Australia, real-time occupancy data forms a foundational pillar of building compliance.

Why Your People Counting Solution Partner Matters

Hardware is only one part of the equation. The real value lies in the software driving them, the seamlessness of your building integration, and the local team keeping data accurate over the entire lifecycle of the asset. That’s where Cohera-Tech differs from the simple "sensor-plus-dashboard" pitch most of the market relies on.

• Native BMS Integration: Cohera-Tech’s software partner, Vemco Group, integrates real-time occupancy data directly with Building Management Systems (BMS) through its VemFusion platform. This allows your BMS to dynamically adjust HVAC, lighting, and ventilation based on actual human presence rather than static schedules.

• Global Tech, Local Expertise: Built on Vemco Group's globally validated analytics technology, Cohera-Tech delivers hardware, software, and dedicated support hosted by a local Australian team who understand AU and NZ compliance from the inside.

• Long-Term Calibration & Support: Buildings evolve, tenant mixes shift, layouts reconfigure, and opening hours change. Cohera-Tech stays on the line long after commissioning to recalibrate systems alongside these changes, ensuring the count you trusted at handover doesn't quietly drift a year later.

• Privacy by Design: Systems capture completely anonymous headcounts without capturing images or biometric data, maintaining occupant trust in educational, public, and commercial spaces.

What This Means for Your Next Project

Whether you're specifying a new build at design stage or upgrading an existing retail centre, commercial space or council building, the right partner should help you:

• Meet NCC lighting and HVAC mandates without costly late-stage retrofits.
• Enable automated demand-controlled ventilation under AS 1668.2:2024 via BMS integration
• Provide verifiable, privacy-first data to achieve Green Star and ESG targets.
• Receive dedicated, ongoing local support for the operational life of the asset. 

Cohera-Tech's position is simple. Globally proven technology, delivered and supported locally, treated as building infrastructure rather than an afterthought. Read more about our People Counting Solutions.

Would you like to review the BMS integration specs for an upcoming project you are specifying?