NatHERS Compliance
Reading a NatHERS Result
A NatHERS thermal star rating indicates how effectively a dwelling design is expected to manage heating and cooling in its local climate. It is a modelled building-shell result, not a percentage, appliance rating or direct prediction of future energy bills.
A NatHERS star rating is often treated as a simple pass-or-fail number. In practice, it communicates something more specific: the modelled heating and cooling demand created by the design and construction of a home.
Accredited NatHERS software models the proposed dwelling in its relevant climate and assesses how the building shell responds to seasonal heat gain, heat loss and internal comfort conditions. The resulting thermal loads are converted into a rating between 0 and 10 stars.
The rating is therefore best understood as an indicator of thermal design performance. It helps show whether orientation, glazing, insulation, shading, construction and room layout are working together effectively before heating and cooling equipment is considered.
