Claims that energy efficiency ratings of houses are flawed because they do not account for the behaviour of households are unfounded as NatHERS ratings are usually completed before a house is constructed. So it would be impossible to rate the behaviour of the occupants, such as their lifestyle and appliance choice. Since heating and cooling typically account for only around 40% of household energy use, NatHERS ratings will not accurately predict total household consumption. The other main sources of energy use in homes are lighting, hot water and appliances. Through COAG, governments have put in place a range of complementary measures to address these sources of energy use.
For example, minimum performance standards and labelling for appliances and equipment provide support for consumers in making efficient choices. However, decisions on how much to heat and cool a house, how many and which appliances to buy and use, and other behavioural decisions are not regulated by government. These are decisions that consumers make depending upon their own circumstances.
It is also not the case that rating new houses through software tools is mandatory. Rating a house using software is just one of a number of methods of complying with the Building Code of Australia.
Claims have also been made that all existing houses will be required to use the NatHERS software tools. Governments are currently discussing how to implement the 2009 COAG agreement to require homes to disclose energy performance at the time of sale or lease and the use of NatHERS is just one of a number of possible options which is being assessed. Before decisions are made on this measure, further public consultation and regulatory impact assessment will be undertaken.
The articles raise other issues around analysis of building energy efficiency and further development of rating schemes. These are being addressed as part of the development of the National Building Energy Standard Setting, Assessment and Rating Framework, part of the National Strategy on Energy Efficiency. A public discussion paper on the framework was released in March 2010, a series of public workshops was held around the country and more than 100 submissions were received. These submissions and a range of other information is being considered to ensure the framework for building ratings and tools continues to serve Australia’s needs in the future.
Australia: Misconceptions about the Nationwide Home Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS)
619 visits
Posting Date | 27 August 2010
Countries | Oceania
Type of News | News from countries
Theme | Energy policies, Legislation, regulations, standards, Energy performance certification, Calculation, simulation
Editor organization URL | http://www.climatechange.gov.au
Recently there has been some media criticism about the Nationwide Home Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) leading to a misunderstanding of its role and function. NatHERS ratings provide a way of comparing the potential heating and cooling needs of different homes based on standard assumptions. The ratings are not intended to measure actual total energy use, just as car fuel efficiency ratings do not match the actual fuel consumption of every driver of the car. Rather, they are a way to fairly compare the potential of different houses.
Submission URL(s) | http://www.climatechange.gov.au/en/media/whats-new/misconceptions-about-nationwi..., http://www.climatechange.gov.au/what-you-need-to-know/buildings/homes/nationwide...
Source Languages | English
Comments
This item has not yet been commented. Please feel free to send us a comment of your own.