7 Star NCC Rating for New Homes - What you need to know!
Energy efficiency ratings for new residential buildings have changed with updates to the National Construction Code (NCC) bringing about an overhaul to the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS)
The changes will improve the energy efficiency of the building shell, and for the first time, account for the energy usage of household appliances and equipment. Features like house orientation and better insulation may go unnoticed, but they will make a positive difference to the comfort and energy costs of a new home.
These changes will:
- make homes more comfortable to live in
- provide cost-of-living savings on energy bills over the life of the home
- provide a greener future through emissions reduction.
NatHERS ratings
NatHERS currently provides a rating out of 10 stars that takes into account the home’s design and construction materials including walls, insulation, windows and roofs. NCC updates will see the minimum star rating for new homes increase from 6 to 7 stars.
NatHERS star ratings provide information about the thermal performance (heating and cooling needs) of a home. A star rating is out of 10 and considers a home’s design, orientation, construction materials, as well as the local climate.
Improving the energy efficiency of your home
Regardless of whether it’s a new build or renovation or whether you just want to make some minor adjustments, everyone can improve the energy efficiency of their home. The Your Home website is a free resource with a large amount of information on residential energy efficiency.
Australian Climate Zones
Location has a significant effect on how to best design your home to be energy efficient. Australia has diverse climates, from the hot tropical North, to the much cooler, temperate regions of Tasmania. Energy efficient design needs to respond to these climatic differences. The NatHERS software takes this into account when calculating your energy rating to ensure when comparing across different climate zones, an equitable star rating value is generated. See NatHERS climate zones to view a map of the different zones.
