Building on the existing NatHERS platform, the project develops the next generation of house energy rating tools capable of assessing a wider range of energy and carbon impacts, providing the housing industry with high quality design feedback and accurate performance assessments. The project greatly extends and improves the functionality of existing tools to reward the use of high performance technologies and construction systems, and the integration of renewable energy systems.
Developed from a strong evidence-base and validated in all key Australian climates, with a particular emphasis on improving the knowledge base from subtropical and tropical climates, this project provides one of the fundamental building blocks required by industry to continue along the pathway to low carbon housing.
The project supports industry activities to design, construct and deliver affordable, thermally comfortable, energy efficient low carbon homes that meet the needs of households. The designers, builders, building product and appliance suppliers, assessors and households will have world class design tools, built on a foundation of exceptional science, and validated for Australian housing typology and climatic conditions. Building regulators will have a strong evidence base in establishing the environmental, economic and social costs and benefits of low carbon homes.
The end goal of this integrative project is a housing industry capable of producing thermally comfortable economically viable low carbon homes with integrated solar systems, and testing compliance to lower carbon regulatory standards.
