Constructive Building Consultants provides advice on energy efficiency for a large range of projects. Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) assessments are the most common way to meet the minimum energy efficiency requirements of the National Construction Code (NCC). Energy assessors such as Constructive Building Consultants, use the NatHERS rating tools to predict the amount of heating and cooling your apartment or house will need to stay comfortable all year round. The findings are converted to a star rating between 0 and 10 stars. Homes with a higher star rating are considered more thermally comfortable and cheaper homes to run.
What do natHERS star ratings mean?
- A 0-star rating means the building shell does practically nothing to reduce the discomfort of hot or cold weather.
- A 6-star rating is the current minimum standard in most states and territories. It indicates good, but not outstanding, thermal performance.
- A 10-star rated home may not need any artificial cooling or heating to keep you comfortable.
Your home’s star rating depends on how well the following factors suit the climate your home is in:
- the layout of the home and orientation
- roof, walls, windows and floor construction methods, materials, and colours
- shading to the sun’s path and how well your home takes advantage of local breezes
What’s not included in a natHERS Star rating?
Hot water systems, lights, photovoltaic systems, and household appliances aren’t considered in NatHERS ratings because they’re usually replaced several times in the building’s lifetime and are not considered permanent fixtures of the dwelling.
7-Star Ratings – the new minimum standard
With the recent changes to the NCC 2022 we have seen an increase in the minimum require Star rating for homes. While some people are worried about the costs involved in this increase building for 7-Stars does not need to be costly. Simple design features and material choices can make a big difference to energy efficiency and the rating outcome. Some tips to help reduce costs and achieve 7-Star ratings are;
- Get NatHERS assessors involved early in the design process – this can allow for small design changes, or repositioning, early in the process to achieve increased ratings, with lower associated costs.
- Orientation is key – Build for your local climate and allow for shade and solar access as appropriate to your climate.
- Improve the Glazing – With thousands of options now available we have access to Low-E, Double or even Triple glazing to help improve your homes star rating.
- Increase zoning – including more internal doors in the design of your home can allow for more accurate estimates of the heating and cooling requirements, placing doors at the end of corridors, bottoms of stairs of to close off occasionally use rooms, like media, study or rumpus can see an increase to the rating
- Insulate more – Depending on your climate, ratings can be improved by increasing the R-value of wall, floor and ceiling insulation, or even extending insulation to new areas i.e. slab edge, under the slab, garage walls and internal walls (especially around unconditioned zones like bathrooms and laundries)
- Colour selections – Depending on your climate, rating improvements can usually be achieved by lightening external roof and wall colours or even Window frames. Getting your assessor to model these early in the process can help you to narrow down your selections for the best possible outcomes.
Are you ready to find out more about energy efficiency in your new residential or commercial building?
Contact us to answer your questions today.