NatHERS is being expanded to include Whole-of-Home assessments

Currently NatHERS provides an assessment and rating of a home’s thermal performance (building fabric), with star ratings based on information about the home’s design, construction materials and the climate where it is being built.

Soon NatHERS will also include information about the energy performance of the appliances (heating and cooling appliances, hot water, lighting, pool/spa pumps and on-site energy generation and storage) and information about the overall energy performance of the home (thermal performance combined with appliances).

Expanding NatHERS to assess and rate the energy performance of the whole home will help consumers to lower energy bills and create a home that is more comfortable and resilient.

These changes support the Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings, and its Addendum. The Trajectory was agreed in 2019 by the Council of Australian Governments’ Energy Council, and is a national plan to reduce energy bills and carbon emissions from Australia’s residential and commercial buildings sector.

The Trajectory identified that NatHERS should be expanded to offer nationally accredited Whole-of-Home tools to support future requirements in the National Construction Code (NCC) expected in 2022, and be leveraged to support ratings for existing homes.

For more information about the National Construction Code energy efficiency work for residential buildings, see the Australian Building Codes Board website.

For more information about NatHERS Whole-of-Home, see the About NatHERS page.