Comparison Guide
Home Energy Rating and Residential Efficiency Scorecard are closely related, but they are not exactly the same thing.
Both are concerned with the energy performance, comfort and upgrade potential of existing homes. Both help households understand how their home performs and what could improve it.
The difference is that Home Energy Rating is becoming the broader consumer-facing language for existing home energy performance, while the Residential Efficiency Scorecard is a specific government-supported assessment program that has helped shape the transition toward NatHERS Existing Homes.
Quick Answer
A Home Energy Rating helps describe how an existing home performs for comfort, energy use and upgrade potential. It is the broader term now being used as Australia expands national rating pathways for established homes.
The Residential Efficiency Scorecard is a specific government-supported home energy rating and advice program for existing homes. It rates a home’s energy use and comfort, then provides tailored recommendations to improve performance.
The two pathways are connected because Scorecard helped establish practical existing-home rating methods, while NatHERS Existing Homes is now becoming the next national pathway for home energy ratings.
Australia’s existing home energy rating landscape is changing. Terms such as Home Energy Rating, NatHERS Existing Homes and Residential Efficiency Scorecard are often used in similar conversations, but they do not always mean the same thing.
For homeowners, renovators, landlords, sellers and property professionals, this can become confusing. One person may be asking about upgrade advice. Another may be asking about a certificate. Another may be preparing for future disclosure at sale or lease.
Clear comparison helps clients understand which pathway is being discussed and what type of output they should expect.
A Home Energy Rating is a way of describing how an existing home performs for energy use, comfort and potential upgrades.
It can help homeowners understand how the building fabric, windows, insulation, shading, heating and cooling, hot water, appliances, solar and batteries contribute to the overall performance of the home.
For a broader introduction, see What Is a Home Energy Rating for Existing Homes?
The Residential Efficiency Scorecard is a government-supported home energy rating and advice program for existing homes.
It rates a home’s energy use and comfort and provides tailored upgrade recommendations. The program has been used to help households understand how their homes perform and what improvements could make them cheaper to run, more comfortable and more energy efficient.
Certified Energy has previously supported Residential Efficiency Scorecard services as part of the wider existing-home energy performance ecosystem. See Residential Efficiency Scorecard.
Scorecard and NatHERS Existing Homes sit in the same broader movement: helping households understand the energy performance of homes that have already been built.
Scorecard helped establish practical assessment and advice approaches for existing homes. NatHERS Existing Homes builds on this transition by expanding NatHERS into established dwellings and creating a more nationally aligned rating pathway.
For a definition of the NatHERS pathway, see What Is NatHERS Existing Homes?
Yes. The Residential Efficiency Scorecard program is scheduled to close on 23 June 2026.
Until then, Scorecard assessments remain available through the program. After that transition, NatHERS Existing Homes and the broader Home Energy Rating framework are expected to become the more prominent national pathway for existing home ratings.
This is why it is useful to understand both terms, especially during the transition period.
The simplest way to separate the two is by purpose.
Home Energy Rating is the broader language used to describe existing home performance assessment. It can relate to NatHERS Existing Homes, disclosure pathways, certificates, upgrade advice and consumer information.
Residential Efficiency Scorecard is a specific assessment program with its own certificate, assessor process and tailored recommendations.
A Home Energy Rating pathway may produce a Home Energy Rating Certificate and performance information about the dwelling. Depending on the pathway, this may include thermal performance, whole-of-home considerations and upgrade advice.
A Residential Efficiency Scorecard assessment produces a customised Scorecard certificate and recommendations. It is designed to help households understand comfort, energy use and practical improvement options.
Both can support better decisions, but the certificate format and scheme context are different.
Both pathways require appropriate assessor capability, but the accreditation and scheme requirements are not interchangeable.
For NatHERS Existing Homes, Home Energy Rating Certificates need to be generated through the relevant NatHERS existing homes pathway by an accredited existing homes assessor.
For Scorecard, assessments are carried out by accredited Scorecard assessors under the Scorecard program. During the transition period, it is important to confirm which pathway is available and appropriate.
Both Home Energy Rating and Scorecard-style assessments can consider the real condition of an existing home rather than a proposed new design.
Relevant features may include:
For more detail, see What Does a Home Energy Rating Actually Measure?
The right pathway depends on the property, timing, program availability and the reason for the assessment.
A homeowner may need clarity around:
This is why the first step should usually be a pathway review, not an assumption that every existing home assessment uses the same scheme.
Both Home Energy Rating and Scorecard-style assessments for existing homes should be separated from new-home NatHERS compliance.
New-home NatHERS usually assesses a proposed design before construction. Existing-home pathways assess a real dwelling that has already been built.
For that distinction, see NatHERS Existing Homes vs New Home NatHERS Assessments.
During the transition from Scorecard toward NatHERS Existing Homes, homeowners may see both terms used in the market.
This does not mean they are exactly the same product. It means Australia is moving toward clearer, more consistent ways to rate existing home performance and communicate that information to households.
For clients, the safest approach is to confirm the current pathway before requesting a quote or assuming a particular certificate type.
For homeowners, the main question is not only what the pathway is called, but what decision the rating needs to support.
For renovators, the assessment should help clarify upgrade priorities before money is spent on insulation, windows, heating and cooling, hot water, solar or batteries.
For sellers, landlords and property professionals, the transition matters because home energy rating disclosure may become more important over time.
For consultants, the priority is to explain the difference between legacy Scorecard pathways, emerging NatHERS Existing Homes ratings and broader Home Energy Rating language.
No. A Home Energy Rating is the broader emerging language for rating existing home performance, while the Residential Efficiency Scorecard is a specific government-supported rating and advice program for existing homes.
The Residential Efficiency Scorecard is a home energy rating and advice program for existing homes. It rates a home’s energy use and comfort and provides tailored recommendations for improving performance.
NatHERS Existing Homes is the expansion of NatHERS into established dwellings. NatHERS describes Scorecard as an important first step in existing home ratings, with NatHERS Existing Homes becoming the next national pathway.
The Residential Efficiency Scorecard program is scheduled to close on 23 June 2026. Until then, Scorecard assessments remain available through the program.
The right pathway depends on the property, timing, availability of assessors, program requirements and the reason for the rating. Certified Energy can help clarify whether a Home Energy Rating, NatHERS Existing Homes pathway or Scorecard-style assessment is suitable.
Yes. The Residential Efficiency Scorecard provides tailored recommendations to improve the comfort and energy performance of an existing home.
Pathway Review
Certified Energy can help clarify whether a Home Energy Rating, NatHERS Existing Homes pathway or Residential Efficiency Scorecard-style assessment is suitable for your property.