NatHERS expansion forges ahead
As part of the release of its 2035 emissions target and Net Zero Plan, the Australian Government has announced around $33 million in new funding to support the continued scale-up of NatHERS assessments for existing homes.
Ratings and upgrade information for existing homes will help Australians better understand their home’s energy use so they can make informed decisions on upgrading their homes. This can help people cut energy bills, reduce emissions and improve their home’s climate resilience and comfort.
The new money will support the continued, staged roll out of energy assessments which commenced in July this year, and support the ongoing improvement of assessment tools and processes. Two key priorities will be assessor training and the software tool enhancements.
The Government’s commitment to fund the ongoing expansion, and the importance of the scheme to deliver lower energy costs and improve the comfort of homes, is outlined in the Built Environment Sector Plan.
Keep an eye out for future newsletters which will include all the latest on the NatHERS expansion.
NSW trial commences
A home energy rating trial is underway in NSW to test a system for sharing a property's energy rating when it's sold or leased, which is also known as home energy rating disclosure. The trial is a collaboration between the NSW and Australian governments.
The trial will test the systems outlined in the Home Energy Ratings Disclosure Framework, which sets out a nationally-consistent approach to implementing disclosure schemes across Australia.
NatHERS software and energy ratings will be used for the trial that includes live testing, research projects and targeted stakeholder engagement with industry groups.
The NSW government is leading the trial ahead of its planned rollout of voluntary home energy ratings disclosure across the state from 2026.
NSW will then aim to transition to mandatory disclosure once they’ve reviewed the voluntary rollout and the market is ready. This would mean the home’s energy rating must be shared publicly with potential buyers or renters when it’s advertised for sale or lease.
Learn more by visiting the NatHERS home energy ratings disclosure page.
NatHERS trial update
Work is progressing on the NatHERS for existing homes trial with over 880 trial assessments now completed on a variety of houses and house types across Australia.
The findings and feedback from assessors and trial partners are informing improvements and new inclusions to NatHERS’ tools, processes and the scheme, for the release of stage 2 of NatHERS for existing homes in mid-2026.
Accredited assessor numbers are growing as trial assessors progress through to becoming accredited. Current trainees are now preparing to submit their applications so that they can take their accreditation exam soon and start in the field from early October.
Learn more about the NatHERS trial, and visit the Assessor Register.
Software development drop-in session
An industry drop-in session will be held at 12pm Wednesday 15 October. This session is for software developers and others interested in developing energy rating software for existing homes.
Please contact uip@nathers.gov.au to receive meeting login details.
Pause on applications for SAP Accreditation
New applications for accreditation under the Software Accreditation Protocol (SAP) for new homes have been paused to allow time for the SAP to be reviewed. Accredited software tools will continue to operate under the current model during the temporary pause.
An improved User Interface Protocol (UIP) model has been developed for NatHERS for existing homes which may, in the future, replace the current SAP. This will be subject to public consultation in 2026.
The new UIP fulfils the same function as the SAP does for new homes, but it has the benefits of substantially reducing the administrative burden and technical complexity for both software providers and the NatHERS Administrator.
For queries about the pause on SAP applications email: admin@nathers.gov.au