Last reviewed: 21 September 2026 | By Evolving Home editorial team
NatHERS Rating Explained: Australia's Home Energy Rating
NatHERS — the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme — is Australia's official way to rate how much heating and cooling a home needs to stay comfortable. The consumer-facing brand is Home Energy Rating. That scheme produces two separate ratings: a thermal star rating from 0 to 10, and a Whole of Home score out of 100. They are cousins of a UK Energy Performance Certificate, not a drop-in legal substitute, and they are not Evolving Home's Health Score.
Read this first
- Thermal stars (0–10) measure heating and cooling need. Whole of Home (/100) is a different score covering major appliances and onsite generation. Never collapse the two into one number.
- The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is the NatHERS Administrator. Evolving Home is not NatHERS-accredited.
- There is no star ↔ Health Score 0–100 map on this site, and no Australian NatHERS adapter. The richest energy Health Score stays UK; you can still claim a Passport worldwide.
What NatHERS and Home Energy Rating mean
NatHERS is the technical scheme. Home Energy Rating is the household-facing name launched on 1 July 2026, including Stage 2 existing-home ratings. Industry and National Construction Code (NCC) documents still say NatHERS. Households will more often see Home Energy Rating. Both names refer to the same official scheme, not to Evolving Home.
DCCEEW administers NatHERS, including how information is collected and published. See the NatHERS privacy page for the Administrator role. Treat nathers.gov.au as the official scheme site — including certificate and software guidance — rather than inventing a second register.
Thermal stars 0–10 are not Whole of Home /100
A thermal star rating is out of 10. It estimates how much heating and cooling energy the home needs, given design, materials, orientation, and local climate. Appliance efficiency is not in that star rating.
The Whole of Home rating is a separate score out of 100, introduced with NCC 2022. It covers major energy use and generation — heating and cooling systems, hot water, lighting, cooking, pool and spa pumps — offset by onsite solar and batteries. Official scheme pages state that ratings above 100 are possible: 100 is treated as a net-zero energy-value home, and a score over 100 means the home generates more energy than it uses in that model. If Whole of Home was not assessed, the certificate should say so.
CSIRO explains the thermal science behind the stars — Chenath modelling of heat flows and hourly comfort — in It's in the stars. Your Home summarises NatHERS among other building rating tools. Neither source maps stars onto Evolving Home's 0–100 Health Score.
| Rating | Scale | What it covers | What it does not cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal star rating | 0–10 stars | Modelled heating and cooling need for comfort in the local climate | Appliance performance, solar generation, batteries, your actual bills |
| Whole of Home | /100 (can exceed 100) | Major fixed appliances plus onsite generation and storage, as modelled | A thermal star substitute, a measured meter bill, or an Evolving Home Health Score |
Star bands are climate-specific (MJ/m² thresholds differ by zone). This page does not copy those tables. Use the live NatHERS star bands PDF and current software/climate-file notes on the accredited-software pages — bands have been recalibrated as climate files changed.
How accredited software produces a rating
Accredited assessors enter the home (or design) into NatHERS-accredited software. Those tools sit on CSIRO's Chenath calculation engine. Names you will currently see on the official list include AccuRate Home, FirstRate5, BERS Pro, and Hero. Treat that as a snapshot: the live accredited-software list is the source of truth for which tools and Chenath versions can issue certificates for which NCC year.
Software must meet the NatHERS Software Accreditation Protocol. For new homes on the NCC NatHERS pathway, the Australian Building Codes Board also publishes the NatHERS heating and cooling load limits as an additional requirement beside the star rating. Load-limit tables and state exclusions live in that PDF — this page does not reproduce them.
Logo, colour, QR versus black-and-white certificates
Official scheme guidance distinguishes accredited and non-accredited certificates. For new-home assessments, that distinction looks like this:
- Accredited assessors are trained, insured, and monitored through Assessor Accrediting Organisations (AAOs). Their certificates include the scheme logo, colour formatting, and a QR code that links to a secure online record.
- Non-accredited raters are not monitored in the same way. They can only produce a black-and-white certificate without the logo.
Accreditation is not compulsory in every state and territory for new-home assessments. The logo and QR are the practical check that the person who rated the home was accredited. Evolving Home does not issue these certificates and does not list AAOs here — use the official scheme pages if you need a current accrediting organisation.
Only NatHERS-accredited assessors can issue official existing-home certificates. Training certificates are not official assessments — they use a black-and-white colour scheme and a training watermark. See Understanding your certificate (official existing-home guidance).
New homes, NCC, and NSW BASIX
For a new home or major renovation, an accredited assessor models the design before construction and can issue a certificate with both the thermal stars and Whole of Home score. That certificate is the usual way to show NCC energy-efficiency compliance on the NatHERS pathway — but states and territories adopt NCC provisions differently.
NCC 2022's NatHERS pathway uses a 7-star thermal target, with limited climate zone 1–2 outdoor-living exceptions described in the ABCB standard. That is a construction-code pathway, not a nationwide sale-or-let rule. New South Wales generally requires BASIX for new homes; official NatHERS new-homes guidance notes that most of those assessments use the Home Energy Rating (NatHERS) star rating as part of BASIX. BASIX is not the same document as a NatHERS certificate, and it is not a UK MEES twin.
Existing homes: a snapshot you re-verify after change
Existing-home ratings describe the building and appliances as they were assessed. They are useful when you are choosing a home, planning upgrades, or preparing to sell or rent — as information, not as a national mandate to disclose a certificate in every jurisdiction.
energy.gov.au records that Stage 2 existing-home ratings and the Home Energy Rating brand commenced on 1 July 2026. That is a programme date, not a copied UK 10-year EPC validity. Only NatHERS-accredited assessors can issue official existing-home certificates. Training certificates are not official assessments. If fabric, services, or major kit change, get a new accredited assessment rather than treating the old certificate as current. Check the live existing-homes pages for any published update window. RapidRate and similar estimate tools are not a NatHERS certificate.
NatHERS versus a UK EPC (fair analogy only)
A NatHERS / Home Energy Rating is a reasonable cousin of a UK Energy Performance Certificate: both are official modelled ratings used in housing decisions. They are not the same legal instrument. Australia does not have a nationwide private-rented MEES twin that this page can honestly map onto England and Wales EPC E / 2030 policy.
| Topic | UK EPC | AU NatHERS / Home Energy Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Headline scale | A–G (SAP 1–100 underneath) | Thermal 0–10 stars and separate Whole of Home /100 |
| Main model | Cost-based SAP/RdSAP energy performance for standard occupancy | Thermal comfort loads; Whole of Home adds appliances and onsite energy |
| Typical legal use | Required to sell or let most homes in England and Wales; PRS MEES is separate | New homes / major renovations: NCC (and NSW BASIX) pathway. Not a national sale/let MEES analogue |
| Official record | GOV.UK Find an energy certificate register | Accredited certificates: logo, colour, QR to a secure record on the official scheme. For new-home assessments, black-and-white without a logo is not that accredited record. Official existing-home certificates require NatHERS-accredited assessors; training certificates are not official assessments |
| Evolving Home | UK Score can use open EPC data where a record matches — still not an EPC | No AU NatHERS adapter. Health Score is not a NatHERS certificate |
What Evolving Home can — and cannot — do next
Start a Health Score, then claim a home, then Confirm facts on the Passport. That path is free. It is UK-richest for the energy Health Score 0–100. You can still claim a Passport for an address anywhere, including Australia. Confirm records you as the homeowner source. It does not mint a NatHERS certificate, does not move a NatHERS star, and does not invent a star-to-0–100 conversion.
Evolving Home is not NatHERS-accredited. We do not claim an Australian NatHERS adapter. We do not sell bill savings, grants, or a nationwide sale/let mandate from this guide. Browse other Home Resilience guides for UK EPC, heating, and grant planning.
Score → claim → Confirm (with geo honesty)
The richest energy Health Score is UK. Passport claim works worldwide. Health Score is not a NatHERS certificate. Evolving Home is not NatHERS-accredited. There is no star ↔ 0–100 map.
Start a Health ScoreOfficial sources
- Home Energy Rating / NatHERS (nathers.gov.au)
- NatHERS for new homes
- NatHERS for existing homes
- Accredited software (live list)
- Whole of Home
- Thermal Star Rating
- Privacy — DCCEEW as NatHERS Administrator
- NatHERS Software Accreditation Protocol
- NatHERS star bands PDF (climate-specific; check live publications)
- ABCB Standard — NatHERS heating and cooling load limits (PDF)
- energy.gov.au — Home Energy Rating launched (1 July 2026)
- Your Home — building rating tools
- CSIRO — It’s in the stars (NatHERS explainer)
- Understanding your certificate (existing homes)
Frequently asked questions
What is NatHERS / Home Energy Rating?
NatHERS is Australia's Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme. Home Energy Rating is the household-facing brand. DCCEEW is the Administrator. It produces a thermal star rating (0–10) for heating and cooling need, plus a separate Whole of Home score out of 100. See the official nathers.gov.au site.
Are thermal stars the same as Whole of Home /100?
No. Never collapse them. Stars (0–10) are thermal performance — heating and cooling need. Whole of Home (/100, and it can exceed 100) covers major appliances and onsite solar/batteries. Appliance efficiency is not in the star rating. Official Whole of Home guidance is on nathers.gov.au/whole-of-home.
Is NatHERS the Australian version of a UK EPC?
It is a fair cousin, not a legal twin. Both are official modelled ratings. A UK EPC is required to sell or let most homes in England and Wales; NatHERS is the usual NCC (and often NSW BASIX) pathway for new homes and major renovations. Australia does not have a nationwide private-rented MEES twin on this page. Compare with our EPC rating guide.
Does Evolving Home's Health Score equal NatHERS stars?
No. There is no star ↔ Health Score 0–100 map. The Health Score is an Evolving Home estimate, not a NatHERS certificate. The richest energy Health Score stays UK. You can still start a Score and claim a Passport for an address anywhere. Confirm does not mint NatHERS stars.
Is Evolving Home NatHERS-accredited, and is there an Australian adapter?
No. Evolving Home is not NatHERS-accredited and does not claim an AU NatHERS adapter. For new-home assessments, accredited certificates show the scheme logo, colour formatting, and a QR code; non-accredited raters produce black-and-white certificates without the logo. Only NatHERS-accredited assessors can issue official existing-home certificates. Training certificates are not official assessments. Official existing-home certificate guidance covers that distinction. Check the live accredited-software list for tools (AccuRate Home, FirstRate5, BERS Pro, Hero, and Chenath versions).
Do I need a NatHERS rating to sell or let in Australia?
Not as a nationwide sale/let mandate equivalent to a UK EPC. New homes and major renovations often need a NatHERS pathway rating for NCC compliance; NSW generally uses BASIX, which often includes the NatHERS star as an input. Existing-home ratings are information for buyers, renters, and upgrade planning. Re-verify after fabric or kit changes. Check current state rules — do not assume a 10-year UK EPC validity.