NatHERS Assessor Toolkit

To become a NatHERS accredited assessor you must hold a Certificate IV in Home Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (CPP41119). 

An overview of this course and details of current training providers are available on the MySkills website. 

Please note:

• CPP41212 is no longer available but accreditations achieved through this course are still valid.
• Only the Thermal Performance Assessment award and the Home Sustainability Assessment and Thermal Performance Assessment award offered under CPP41119 Certificate IV course will qualify you to become accredited as a NatHERS Assessor.
• These courses include training in Whole of Home assessments.
• The award Home Sustainability Assessment offered under CPP41119 Certificate IV will not qualify you to become accredited as a NatHERS Assessor as it does not teach how to use the NatHERS software to assess thermal efficiency. 
• Further details on the pre-requisite, core and elective units to demonstrate competency for each award are available on the Training.gov.au website.

Once you become a NatHERS accredited Assessor, to maintain accreditation you must:

• accrue at least 12 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points annually by undertaking CPD activities offered by your Assessor Accrediting Organisation
• undertake a minimum of 3 NatHERS assessments per year in each of the software tools that you wish to remain accredited in.

You can learn more about becoming accredited, and how you maintain your accreditation in Section 3.2 of the Protocol for Assessor Accrediting Organisations.   

Software training

The Certificate IV (CPP41119) course includes basic training in at least one of the four NatHERS accredited software tools. You can learn more about training for various tools by contacting the software providers below:

• Hero 
• BERS Pro 
• FirstRate5

AccuRate is not recommended for beginners, but training for experienced assessors is offered by Education in Building and Graham Energy.

Accreditation in more than one software tool

Once you have some experience as an assessor you may choose to change your preferred software tool, or become accredited in using more than one tool. 

Before you make this change, you must successfully complete software training provided by an approved trainer, and you must provide a copy of your training certificate to your AAO as proof of your successful studies.   

NatHERS has endorsed the following training providers as appropriately skilled in delivering training in additional software:

• Graham Energy is endorsed to provide training in all NatHERS software including AccuRate
• Hero is endorsed to provide training in Hero software
• Michael Young from Transformed is endorsed to provide training in Hero and FirstRate5 software
• Paul Kearney and Stephen Collins at Education In Building (EIB) are endorsed to provide training in all NatHERS software including AccuRate

Other related training and information

• The Net Zero Energy Builder training portal offers free online sessions focused on helping industry professionals create more sustainable and energy efficient buildings.
• See the Australian Building Codes Board's National Construction Code 101 Training.
• For free training on how to build, design or retrofit Victorian homes to make them more energy efficient, visit the Victorian Governments Renewable Homes Construction program. Click on the following links for details on training content, dates and eligibility: 

Renewable homes construction training | solar.vic.gov.au

1. Home efficiency construction roadshows | solar.vic.gov.au
2. Solar Victoria Net Zero Homes – Skills training
3. Efficient home design and construction training | solar.vic.gov.au

There are a range of benefits to becoming an accredited assessor. To become one, you must complete the relevant training and be accredited by one of the three Assessor Accrediting Organisations (AAOs) listed below. Contact AAOs to find out about their training and accreditation requirements: 

• Australian Building Sustainability Association
• Design Matters National
• House Energy Raters Association

Learn about the Protocol for Assessor Accrediting Organisations.

You may have additional requirements for your jurisdiction, contact your local regulator to find out more:

• Australian Capital Territory Government
• NSW Government
• Northern Territory Government
• Queensland Government
• South Australian Government  
• Tasmanian Government
• Victorian Government
• West Australian Government

AccuRate Home, BERS Pro, Hero and FirstRate5 are accredited NatHERS software providers. They all work closely with our technical team to ensure their tools are accurate and up to date. 

Hero, FirstRate5, BERS Pro and AccuRate Home are all fully accredited including certificates and can be used for National Construction Code (NCC 2022) regulatory assessments. 

Transitioning to NCC 2022

During the transition to NCC 2022, there will be a blanket, coordinated approach permitting the use of older software versions for NatHERS assessments as required.

For state and territory government contacts, or to learn more about the software arrangements see our NCC 2022 Software Transitional Arrangements page.

Read about the requirements and processes for the accreditation of software tools in the NatHERS Software Accreditation Protocol (SAP). 

The process for becoming an accredited Whole of Home assessor has changed. Due to updates in the NatHERS Technical Note, the Whole of Home introductory and technical modules are now out of date. From 26 April 2024 these modules are no longer available. 

If you are already a Thermal Performance Assessor, you can complete Whole of Home training by:

1. Training in the software tool you will use to conduct assessments and;
2. Undertaking Whole of Home Continuous Professional Development (CPD) units approved by your Assessor Accrediting Organisation (AAO).

The software tool demonstration webinars conducted by software providers and hosted by NatHERS in March 2024 qualify for the training element. To access Whole of Home CPD units and/or a recording of the relevant webinar contact your AAO.

Anyone starting out to become an Accredited Thermal Performance Assessor can meet the Whole of Home training requirement by completing a Certificate IV in Home Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (CPP41119), which includes Whole of Home content. Information about how training providers are including Whole of Home in their Certificate IV course is provided below.

Partially completed training 

If you are part way through the Whole of Home introductory and technical modules which have been discontinued, you will be contacted by Transformed Pty Ltd with instructions on how to complete your training. 

You must finish the training quiz before 5pm on Friday 3 May to receive your certificate of completion. Send your certificate to your AAO to become accredited to undertake Whole of Home assessments.

Whole of Home Certificate IV – training for new assessors

Education In Building (EIB) introduced NatHERS Whole of Home content in its Certificate IV course on 1 March 2024. Participants enrolled with EIB prior to March 2024 can complete the Whole of Home training via CPD points through EiB once they have completed the Certificate IV course.

Transformed provides NatHERS Whole of Home content in its Certificate IV course. From May 2024, the course includes live training on Whole of Home accredited Hero software.

Wodonga TAFE will introduce NatHERS Whole of Home content in its revised Certificate IV course from 1 July 2024. This new course will include training in FirstRate5 and will also examine other NatHERS tools so students can choose a software package that suits their needs.

Whole of Home training – FAQs 

Did you register for the NatHERS Whole of Home software tool webinars but couldn’t attend?

Links to the software tool webinar recordings are being emailed to registered attendees who have requested access to the recordings. These attendees should check their inboxes and spam folders for links. If you have not yet received a link to the recordings, please contact admin@nathers.gov.au

Want to watch the NatHERS Whole of Home software tool webinar recording but didn’t register?

Accredited Assessors and AAO members should contact their AAO to access the recordings and claim 1 CPD point for each of the software tool webinars viewed.

Need to claim CPD points for attending the NatHERS Whole of Home software tool webinars?

If you attended one of the webinars during March 2024 and registered with a name that identifies you as a NatHERS accredited assessor, your details have already been forwarded to your AAO. Contact them for more information on accreditation and CPD points. 

Not an assessor but still looking to access the webinar demonstrations? 

Building, design, and other professionals (who are not assessors or members of an AAO) can access recordings of the tool demonstrations via the software provider websites below: 

• BERS Pro  
• Hero 
• FirstRate5.

Software provider training for NCC 2022 

All software providers current offer training that covers the recent changes introduced in NCC 2022:

• Hero training covers certificate creation, the new thermal bridging feature and thermal comfort ratings, as well as the optimisation feature that adds batch simulation capabilities.
• BERS Pro training includes thermal bridging, new interface features and Whole of Home (including artificial heating and cooling, hot water system, lighting, cooking and pool overview, plus solar PV).
• You can find training videos for FirstRate5 on their website covering thermal bridging, new features, and using the optimisation feature.
• Training in AccuRate is available from Education in Building and Graham Energy. AccuRate is not recommended for beginner assessors.

Below are some quick links to important information on conducting NatHERS assessments:  

• You must follow the NatHERS Technical Note when undertaking NatHERS regulatory assessments.
• The Assessor Handbook will help you navigate through a NatHERS home energy assessment.
• Tips for navigating the Technical Note and Handbook versions:

1. NCC 2022 requirements = Chenath Engine v3.22 or later = latest versions of Technical Note and Handbook.
2. NCC 2019 requirements = Chenath Engine v3.21 = June 2019 versions of the Technical Note and Handbook.
3. You may find it useful to familiarise yourself with corrections and clarifications provided in the latest versions.

• The NatHERS Whole of Home Guidance Note features information for undertaking a Whole of Home assessment. It should be read in conjunction with the most recent NatHERS Technical Note.
• Read the Thermal Bridging Guidance Note. 
• See the NatHERS FAQs and NCC22 troubleshooting Q&A  here on the website.

If the above documents are not what you're looking for, contact your AAO for assistance or email the team at: admin@nathers.gov.au to suggest other documents to include on this page. 

Below are reports and other detailed technical information regarding recent changes to NatHERS: 

• Thermally bridged metal framed dwellings must now achieve a similar performance to thermally bridged timber framed dwellings. See Thermal Bridging, NCC 2022 to learn more.
• The climate files used to calculate NatHERS star ratings have been updated for NCC 2022 with more recent and accurate weather data. 
• To minimise the potential impacts of the new climate files on NatHERS star ratings, new starbands have been implemented, adjusted so no particular home/design will be overly impacted. 
• Learn more about how the ABCB has updated its Heating and Cooling Load Limits to support the changes to NCC 2022.
• NatHERS calculations methods underpin the NatHERS Whole of Home modules and rating in the benchmark tool (AccuRate Home).

Below is a collection of sample certificates (from 2019 and 2022) as well as an updated user guide for the new NatHERS certificate.    

• The updated NatHERS Certificate Guide 2022 explores the new features included in the NatHERS certificate.
• The NatHERS Certificate sample 2022 is an example of the new NatHERS certificate which features the Whole of Home rating.    
• Changes to the 2022 certificate & non-accredited report summarises the updates to the 2022 certificate and non-accredited report.
• Guide to the 2019 certificates & non-accredited certificates is a guide to the 2019 NatHERS certificate and its features.
• 2019 NatHERS Certificate sample (superseded) is an example of the 2019 NatHERS certificate.    

If you're assessing a new home in New South Wales (NSW), or renovations of $50,000 or more, or your client is installing a pool or spa of more than 40,000 litres, you will need a BASIX certificate. NatHERS-accredited software is one of the valid pathways to complete the thermal performance section of BASIX. Read the latest updates and see BASIX support materials. 

Below are some additional important links for assessors who are using BASIX for NCC 2022 regulatory ratings in NSW.

• Learn which BASIX standards apply in different circumstances and the current transitional arrangements.
• See Thermal Comfort DIY Method FAQS | Planning Portal - Department of Planning and Environment (nsw.gov.au)
• Lean about Simulation Method FAQs | Planning Portal - Department of Planning and Environment (nsw.gov.au)
• Get up to speed on Technical solutions (Troubleshooting) | Planning Portal - Department of Planning and Environment (nsw.gov.au)
• The Increase to BASIX standards resource provides information on the new materials index. Users can also download a walls and glazing calculator to help with BASIX assessments.
• See the BASIX FAQ for answers to other questions you may have regarding the tool.

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) updated the National Construction Code (NCC) in 2022. Changes included increasing the minimum thermal performance for new homes to the equivalent of 7 stars (under NatHERS). NCC 2022 also includes a new Whole of Home annual energy use budget.

States and territories are transitioning to NCC 2022 at various times. This table outlines key dates for the changeover to the new energy efficiency requirements.

During the transition, there will be a blanket, coordinated approach permitting the use of older software versions for NatHERS assessments as required. For state and territory government contacts, or to learn more about the software arrangements see our NCC 2022 Software Transitional Arrangements page for further details.

Below are more links to information on the NCC and the ABCB: 

• Read the complete collection of NCC volumes in the ABCB National Construction Code 2022 
• See the ABCB's website for the NCC 2022 calculators
• Check out the ABCB NCC 2022 webinar series including key changes and new provisions for energy efficiency and condensation management.