NatHERS statement: using NCC 2019 and NCC 2022 software

The National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 was officially adopted on 1 May 2023 with a transition period for energy efficiency provisions to 30 September 2023. During this time, the provisions from either NCC 2019 or NCC 2022 could be applied.

Several states and territories have exercised their rights to either delay adoption of the updated energy efficiency requirements or set an extended transition period beyond 30 September 2023.

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has a record of NCC 2022 commencement across jurisdictions. Up-to-date details will also be published independently by jurisdictional building regulators and administrating government departments.

Supporting the states and territories during this period, the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is facilitating easier access to NCC 2019 and NCC 2022 compliant NatHERS software.

The coordinated approach outlined below will enable states or territories to use older software versions for NatHERS assessments as required during extended NCC 2022 transition periods.

Software Accreditation Protocol (SAP)

The NatHERS SAP requires that new ratings are commenced in the most recent software version unless there has been a prior written request from the relevant regulator.



In recognition of the various adoption dates and the potential for an increase in the number of requests from practitioners and building regulators, the NatHERS administrator is proposing a blanket, coordinated approach. This will provide for use of old and new software in parallel.

For jurisdictions facilitating the ongoing use of NCC 2019 compliant NatHERS software during the transition period, the NatHERS Administrator will accept statements (tailored for each state and territory). The statements must be issued by a jurisdictional government authority responsible for administering building regulations.

These statements will be considered ‘a written request’ from any regulator, providing the option for NatHERS assessors to use older versions of software while still satisfying the requirements of the SAP.

Using two software versions

The CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and software providers have confirmed they can provide and operate two different software versions at the same time.

Due to updates to heating and cooling load limits in the NCC 2022 compliant version of Chenath, it is recommended that the relevant software and certificate be used for the applicable NCC 2019 or NCC 2022 requirements.

Chenath 3.21 software will be retired once all jurisdictions have moved to the NCC 2022 software.

This statement supersedes any previous advice from the NatHERS Administrator, AAOs and software providers about migration to the latest software from 1 October 2023.