Life Cycle Analysis program

A Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) helps housing developers understand the long-term costs and benefits of their design choices. By considering factors such as materials, orientation, energy sources and water fixtures, an LCA supports smarter decision-making that saves money and resources.

As part of our commitment to reducing community carbon emissions, the City is trialling a new LCA tool for single dwelling projects. This will not only help lower the carbon footprint of new homes but can also improve their comfort and running costs over time.

Through this trial program, we’ve partnered with Rapid LCA and are inviting up to 20 eligible developers who plan to lodge a Development Application (DA) within the next 3–6 months to take part.

How does the process work?

  1. First, talk to our planners about your plans, the earlier the better, to find out if you’re eligible and what’s involved. You can email planning@fremantle.wa.gov.au or call 1300 693 736.
  2. You can access the LCA tool before you lodge your DA – it’s free to use and takes less than an hour. We suggest sitting down with your builder or architect to complete it. You can also reach out to the City for further help in using the tool.
  3. The tool generates an LCA report that provides a breakdown of your project’s life cycle performance and how it compares to national/local benchmarks.
  4. Happy with your report? You can simply add it to your development application when you are ready to lodge.
  5. Want to change your design to improve its performance? No problem. The LCA tool allows you to easily save and update information, producing an updated report that aligns any design changes.
  6. Your submitted LCA report will provide information to the City on the performance of local dwellings. The tool is there to inform you to achieve a smarter design and help you with your design choices.

Frequently Asked Questions

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a way of measuring the environmental impacts of your home design. It looks at things like energy use, water use, materials, and carbon emissions across the whole life of your home — from construction through to ongoing use. This helps identify where you can make design choices that reduce costs, save resources, and lower your carbon footprint.

Taking part gives you:

Better insights – Understand the long-term costs and benefits of your design choices.
Cost savings – Find opportunities to save on energy, water, and maintenance.
Sustainability benefits – Reduce your home’s environmental impact and carbon footprint.
Free access – The City of Fremantle is fully covering the cost of the tool for eligible applicants during the trial.
Practical support – Get guidance from the City and Rapid LCA consultants if you need help with the process.

By joining the trial, you’ll also be helping the City test new ways to support more sustainable housing development in our community.

Rapid LCA is available for anyone planning to build a standalone home within the City of Fremantle.

You don’t need any prior experience to complete the LCA assessment. Using information from your proposed design, you will input information regarding your proposed design.

The assessment can be completed in under an hour. However, should you need additional support, 1-on- 1 meetings can be arranged by the City with a Rapid LCA consultant to guide you in using the tool.

Please note this does not include design advice, so involving your architect or builder in using the tool is a good idea.

No. The City is fully covering the cost for eligible applicants. In fact, using the LCA tool now, can potentially save you money by reducing the ongoing running costs of your home!

Early! It’s most valuable while you are in the planning and designing stages of your new home, and before you are ready to lodge a DA. Using it early gives you the chance to adjust your design for better outcomes through the LCA process.

No. Taking part in the LCA trial will not affect your Development Application. Your DA will be processed in line with standard City’s procedures.

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