NatHERS News - 13 November 2024

Design For Place update

The Australian Government’s Design For Place resource has been updated and expanded to incorporate new National Construction Code 2022 (NCC 2022) requirements.
 
Design For Place house plans have been created by an architect in collaboration with an energy assessor. They can be freely used, and adapted to meet the unique needs of builders, their clients and a specific project.
 
The plans are a great resource for understanding how to reach the new NCC 2022 energy efficiency requirements. They come with NatHERS thermal and Whole of Home energy ratings, as well as three design options demonstrating how simple changes can increase energy performance above minimum standards.
 
While the plans are free to download, some customisation by a designer or architect is required to produce localised construction drawings for a selected site. 
 
Check out the expanded and updated Design For Place now.


Managing risk of non-compliance

The NatHERS Administrator is developing an updated policy to support Assessor Accrediting Organisations (AAOs) to more consistently manage quality assurance. This will help to protect assessors from the risks of non-compliance.
 
Inaccurate NatHERS assessments that do not follow NatHERS procedures can lead to a building being non-compliant, with possible legal and financial repercussions such as court proceedings, fines, rectification orders or compensation claims.

The new policy will set consistent practices for AAOs, as well as clearer expectations for assessors. Training, suspension, and in severe cases loss of accreditation may be considered in response to non-compliance.

AAOs conduct quality assurance checks on accredited assessors regularly, helping:

  • assessors improve their skills, accuracy, and compliance with the NCC
  • AAOs and the NatHERS Administrator understand assessor performance
  • build industry confidence in the work of NatHERS-accredited assessors.

Reach out to your AAO for resources and support to improve accuracy and compliance with NatHERS procedures. 

EOIs now open for existing home trial energy assessors

NatHERS is expanding to provide energy ratings for existing homes, with a trial commencing in late 2024. 

We’re seeking people to be trained as trial energy assessors to help make the tools and processes more effective for launch. 

Benefits of participation include: 

  • fully subsidised training for NatHERS for existing homes   
  • funded real world experience conducting home energy assessments 
  • a streamlined path to becoming an accredited NatHERS for existing homes assessor. 

We're seeking participants with a range of experience, including:  

  • individuals new to the field 
  • those with broader property or construction sector experience 
  • experienced assessors with active accreditation under NatHERS, Residential Efficiency Scorecard or Australian Capital Territory Energy Efficiency Rating. 

Visit our consultation hub to express your interest in participating in the trial by 10pm (AEDT) on Wednesday 27 November 2024.   
For more information on the NatHERS trial visit our website.
 
The expression of interest process closes on Wednesday 27 November – express your interest now. 


Tech Note update

On 23 October NatHERS updated the NatHERS Technical Note (new homes).
 
Specific updates to the Technical Note include:

  1. An apartment centralised heat pump hot water proxy (clause 12.10). This is a short-term measure to incorporate apartment centralised heat pump hot water until the full implementation of the proposed NatHERS Apartment Centralised Services Method. Feedback is currently being evaluated following a four-week consultation (now closed). 
  2. New default downlight ceiling penetration settings. Stakeholders have questioned the default downlight assumption to account for ceiling penetrations. The NatHERS Administrator tested alternative proposals suggested by stakeholders, leading to a decision to adjust the lighting requirement to one light per 5m².
  3. Clarified assessment of Class 1b dwellings
  4. Zoning of bathrooms in a new Appendix 2.

You can read the NatHERS Technical Note check out these changes.