In Brief
Windows and glazing affect how an existing home feels throughout the year. They can influence winter heat loss, summer heat gain, glare, draughts, daylight, privacy and how hard heating and cooling systems need to work.
Current and Former Existing-Home Pathways
Home Energy Rating and the Residential Efficiency Scorecard both relate to existing homes, but they are not interchangeable names for the same assessment.
The Residential Efficiency Scorecard was a separate government-supported assessment program for existing homes. It operated under its own methodology, assessor requirements and reporting arrangements before closing on 23 June 2026.
Home Energy Rating is Certified Energy’s current service name for assessments delivered through NatHERS for existing homes. It is now the relevant pathway where a new assessment of an established dwelling is required.
The comparison is therefore no longer about choosing between two available schemes. It is about distinguishing the current assessment pathway from a former program and understanding what an older Scorecard report still represents.
