Development of a benchmark tool for whole of home energy rating for Australian new housing

Abstract

In 2019 Energy Ministers agreed the Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings (the Trajectory). One of the key aspects in the Trajectory for residential buildings is to expand Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) to offer nationally accredited whole-of-home (WoH) tools to enable compliance requirements in the National Construction Code. CSIRO was commissioned by the NatHERS Administrator to develop a benchmark WoH tool. For this purpose the WoH tool was developed by implementing new modules for space heating and cooling, water heating, lighting, swimming pool, other appliances, solar PV and battery into the modified version of AusZEH design tool. The initial version of the tool was released in December 2019 for evaluation. With the extensive input from the NatHERS Technical Advisory Committee and other industry experts, the WoH tool was recently updated with calculations of hourly energy consumption over a period of one year and energy value and rating.