{"id":720,"date":"2019-03-18T21:50:53","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T10:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blueecohomes.com.au\/?p=720"},"modified":"2020-10-02T17:53:00","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T07:53:00","slug":"what-is-bal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blueecohomes.com.au\/what-is-bal\/","title":{"rendered":"What is BAL?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\u201cBush Fire Attack Level\u201d or \u201cBAL\u201d is the term used to describe the level of bush fire risk a home could be subjected to.<\/p>

Factors that determine a home\u2019s \u201cBAL Rating\u201d include: The area you live in, the vegetation, the distance from the vegetation to your home, and the slope of the land.<\/p>

There are 6 classifications that BAL ratings fall into:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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BAL LOW:
At BAL LOW, no special considerations are needed as this rating indicates no expected exposure to bushfire attack.<\/p>

BAL 12.5:
At this level there is expected ember attack with heat flux of up to 12.5kW\/m\u00b2 (Heat flux and calculations explained below)<\/p>

BAL 19:
At this level there are increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers, together with increasing heat flux of up to 19kW\/m\u00b2<\/p>

BAL 29:
Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers, together with increasing heat flux of up to 29kW\/m\u00b2<\/p>

BAL 40:
Increasing levels of ember attack and burning debris ignited by windborne embers, together with increasing heat flux of up to 40kW\/m\u00b2 and with the increased likelihood of exposure to flames.<\/p>

BAL FZ:
Direct exposure to flames from fire, in addition to heat flux above 40kW\/m\u00b2 and ember attack.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What is heat flux?<\/strong><\/p>

Heat flux or thermal flux is the rate of heat energy passing through a certain surface. Temperature differences in a given system induce a heat flux. The induced heat flux always flows from the hot to the cold side.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In order for heat flux to exist, it requires, not only a temperature difference, but also a medium through which heat is flowing. Heat can flow through solid materials, gases, liquids, and through electromagnetic waves.<\/p>

What this means, is that temperatures inside a house can increase enough to start setting internal materials alight, creating a fire within the house as well as outside.<\/p>

Heat Flux is measured in Kilowatts per metre squared (kW\/m\u00b2). This relates to the amount of heat energy being exerted on a 1 metre space. 1kW of heat energy is about equivalent of the sun\u2019s heat on a 1 metre space on a summers day.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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With the definition of BAL and understanding of heat flux in mind, it\u2019s important to know that each level of BAL requires additional consideration when a house is being built and as such, more work at each level.<\/p>

These considerations are always changing and being updated, but are a step in ensuring that homes are adequately equiped with the right bushfire defences. Especially when building in the blue mountains.<\/p>

If you\u2019re unsure of your homes BAL rating or looking at a new build, you can use the\u00a0RFS website<\/a>\u00a0to find out if you\u2019re in a bushfire prone area. And if so, apply to council or contact a qualified BAL assessor to conduct a proper assessment.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Sources:
https:\/\/www.bushfireprone.com.au\/what-is-a-bal\/<\/a>
https:\/\/www.rfs.nsw.gov.au\/plan-and-prepare\/building-in-a-bush-fire-area\/building-after-bush-fire\/your-level-of-risk<\/a>
https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/chemical-engineering\/heat-flux<\/a>
https:\/\/www.greenteg.com\/heat-flux-sensor\/about-heat-flux\/what-is-heat-flux\/<\/a>
https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thermal_conductivity#\/media\/File:Simple_definition_of_thermal_conductivity.png<\/a>
https:\/\/forum.solar-electric.com\/discussion\/4150\/1-kw-per-square-meter<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBush Fire Attack Level\u201d or \u201cBAL\u201d is the term used to describe the level of bush fire risk a home could be subjected to. Factors that determine a home\u2019s \u201cBAL Rating\u201d include: The area you live in, the vegetation, the distance from the vegetation to your home, and the slope of the land. There are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is BAL? - Blue Eco Homes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blueecohomes.com.au\/what-is-bal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is BAL? - Blue Eco Homes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cBush Fire Attack Level\u201d or \u201cBAL\u201d is the term used to describe the level of bush fire risk a home could be subjected to. 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