NatHERS Star Rating — All You Need To Know

The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) was introduced over a decade ago and has had a big impact on the design and construction of homes throughout Australia. Where previously new homes could be built at lower energy standards, there is now an increased emphasis on maximizing energy efficiency in order to get more stars on such things as air-conditioning and heating systems. The more stars your home gets rated on, the less you’ll need to worry about cooling or heating it each day. This is especially important during the intense heat waves that Australians face in summers. So, a good example of a house that maximizes energy efficiency will get seven stars, and the one that doesn’t get a 1-star rating.

What has to be considered while rating the house?

When NatHERS star ratings are calculated, the officials don’t consider each and everything that belongs to the house. They focus solely on ceiling fans to observe the change in the airflow. They don’t consider other household appliances like hot water systems and lights while calculating the rating of a house. Keeping aside the household appliances, the professionals focus on the layout of the house, the way the roof, walls, and floor have been constructed, the orientation of windows, and how well these suit the climate.

Star Band

A star band is the range of ratings that are already set for each climate zone in Australia. The country is divided into 69 climate zones and each zone has different air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, the speed of the wind, and its direction. The information is provided by the Bureau of Meteorology that compiles the files using 25 years old records.

The house ratings are based on the maximum energy consumption per unit area. So, the house that gets a 10-star rating will remain comfortable the whole year without the need for artificial cooling or heating.

How NatHERS Star Rating is calculated

Professionals use NatHERS Accredited Software to model the expected indoor temperature of a house. The recorded data includes the size of each room, function of each room, specification of openings, building materials used, type of construction, dwelling orientation, and the location of the house. The data collected is entered into the software for a simulation model. The model decides how badly a house is affected by the climate every hour of each day of the year. As people will find out measures to keep the house comfortable the model will give an estimate for the annual heating and cooling requirements.

If you want a NatHERS Certificate, you can consult “Certified Energy” which is an ESD consultancy based in Australia. It provides a BASIX certificate, NaTHERS assessment, ways to get a 6-star energy rating, and other services related to making a house sustainable. They are active in this domain for more than a decade and their team of professionals consists of well-trained individuals that belong to Architectural or Engineering backgrounds. For more information about their services, you can visit the website certifiedenergy.com.au.