Energy Efficiency Certificates for Your Home
The National House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is a ranking and assessment system that ensures our homes are complying with energy efficiency standards. Run by the Department of Environment and Energy, this scheme uses a ten-star rating system to measure the energy efficiency of Australian properties.
Find out everything you need to know about NatHERs, including how it works in improving energy efficiency and reducing energy costs.
What is a NatHERS Certificate?
NatHERS certificates consider heating and cooling performance to determine your home’s energy efficiency rating, alongside the following factors:
- Overall home design
- Construction materials
- Insulation
- Climate of the surrounding area
Every NatHERS certificate offers a thermal star rating out of 10 that examines how much heating and cooling is needed to maintain a comfortable home.
Certificates also include a Whole of Home rating out of 100, which is designed to promote energy efficiency through your home’s appliances, including lighting, pool and spa pumps, and hot water heaters.
Your home’s overall rating is calculated by taking the energy used to power these appliances, minus the energy generated from solar panels. 100 is considered to be a net zero emissions home, while ratings over 100 show that your home generates more energy than it uses.
What Are NatHERs Certificates Used For?
Having a NatHERS certificate helps to show how much energy is needed each year for using major appliances, as well as heating and cooling – the more stars, the more energy efficient your home.
The certificate also provides information on your home’s greenhouse gas emissions, along with the impact of renewable energy sources such as solar batteries and panels.
Improving Energy Efficiency
Getting a NatHERS rating is useful for finding more energy-efficient design solutions to maintain your home’s temperature without relying on artificial heating and cooling systems powered by electricity, like air conditioners.
For instance, you may make energy efficiency improvements by installing roof insulation, choosing materials like wood with natural insulator properties, and draught proofing.
These solutions reduce the need to burn fossil fuels, therefore lowering greenhouse gas emissions to help stop climate change. They also naturally lower your energy usage, leading to cheaper energy bills over time.
Helping with Government Regulation
NatHERS certificates are also used by householders, certifiers, and builders, along with state and territory governments to ensure homes are meeting minimum local energy efficiency standards.
For example, new houses and townhouses located in Queensland must achieve a minimum 7-star energy equivalence rating. These entities can then quickly confirm that a property has been built to the design that the energy rating is based on.
Encouraging Home Upgrades
NatHERS ratings are currently only available for new homes and major renovations. However, trials will begin in 2024 to expand the scheme and include assessments for existing homes, therefore paving the way towards a low-carbon future for Australia.
This will enable householders to lower energy bills by making upgrades to their homes, such as investing in more energy-efficient appliances, through gaining a better understanding of their home’s energy performance.
New ratings can also be used by banks and financial institutions to verify loans for householders to make energy-efficient upgrades within their homes.
Improve Energy Efficiency For Your Home with a NatHERS Certificate
While NatHERS ratings should only be conducted by professionals who know how to use custom-built, accredited NatHERS software, there are two types of certificates that can be obtained to determine your home’s energy performance:
- Coloured certificate with NatHERS logo: Your rating has been carried out by a NatHERS-accredited assessor
- Black and white certificate with NatHERS logo: Produced by a non-accredited assessor
It isn’t compulsory for assessors to be NatHERS accredited in all states, but getting a coloured certificate with a logo provides you with peace of mind that your home’s energy efficiency rating will be accurate.
Contact Volteam today to get your accredited NatHERS certificate and find out how to ensure that your home meets energy efficiency standards. We also install solar power systems and batteries to help lower energy costs and ensure your home contributes towards a greener, cleaner planet for the future.
Call us now at 1300 865 832 or fill out your details online and let our expert team provide quality renewable energy solutions for your home.
FAQs
How Do I Get a NatHERS Rating?
Get your NatHERS certificate by contacting a NatHERS-accredited assessor. They will enter house plans and construction details into specially designed software, based on scientific research by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). This software then produces a rating of up to 10 stars, considering the heating and cooling performance, greenhouse gas emissions, and overall design of your home.
How Much Does a NatHERS Certificate Cost?
The price of a NatHERS certificate can vary depending on the assessor chosen and the requirements of your home. However, the cost of an assessment generally ranges anywhere from $250 to $500. In some areas, financial support is available to offset the cost of getting a NatHERS rating.
Is NatHERS Compulsory?
Although NatHERs isn’t a compulsory rating, it can help to ensure that newly constructed homes are meeting the necessary safety, health, and sustainability requirements. In Queensland, whether you’re in Chermside or Moreton Bay, new houses and townhouses must achieve a minimum 7-star energy efficiency rating and a Whole of Home rating of at least 60.
What is a 7-Star Home?
Under NatHERS, there is no checklist for the features that a 7-star home should possess. However, this is the minimum standard that properties must achieve as part of the process. This aims to reduce emissions from greenhouse gases by 7 to 11% to move closer towards Australia’s goal of achieving zero-carbon-ready buildings by 2050.
