Ideal if you've:
Send your plans, drawings or available project information and we'll review what has been requested and help identify the appropriate next step for your residential project.
20,500+
Residential assessments
12+ years
Residential energy experience
Australia-wide
Residential project support
35+ people
Coordinated national team
You do not need to know which energy efficiency assessment applies before getting started. Send your available plans, drawings and any information you have received about the project, and we’ll review what has been requested and help identify the appropriate next step.
After reviewing your project, you’ll receive:
Why project teams choose Certified Energy
1. Upload your plans, drawings and any available project information
2. We review the project and any energy efficiency requirements you have received
3. We help identify the appropriate assessment or compliance pathway
4. You receive clear next steps and a fixed quotation where appropriate
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What do you actually need?
If you’ve been told your residential project needs an energy efficiency report, you may not have been given the exact name of the assessment. The appropriate pathway can depend on the project, location and applicable approval requirements.
The broad request
“Energy efficiency report” is often used as a broad description for residential energy efficiency or compliance documentation rather than the name of one universal assessment.
The pathway
Depending on the project and applicable requirements, the next step may involve a Deemed-to-Satisfy approach or a residential thermal performance assessment using NatHERS.
The next step
If you are unsure which assessment has been requested, send the project information you have. We can review the available documentation and help identify the appropriate next step.
Which pathway applies?
If your certifier, architect, designer or builder has already nominated an assessment pathway, you can go directly to the relevant service. If they have only asked for an energy efficiency report, the project information can be reviewed first.
You do not need to choose between DTS, NatHERS or a 7-Star requirement on your own. These terms describe different parts of the residential energy-efficiency and compliance process, and the appropriate next step depends on the project and applicable requirements.
If your project is following the applicable elemental or Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions, the Residential DTS service explains this assessment pathway and the documentation involved.
If the project requires a plans-based thermal performance rating using NatHERS software, the NatHERS service covers the assessment process, project information and rating documentation.
If you have specifically been asked about a 7-Star requirement, this relates to the residential thermal-performance context rather than being a separate rating framework from NatHERS. The 7-Star page explains what that requirement means for a residential project.
Not sure which assessment applies?
You may have a set of plans, an email from your certifier or architect, or simply a request for an “energy efficiency report”. You do not need to translate that request into a technical assessment before contacting us.
Send the information you have and we can review the project context, identify what else may be needed and help determine the appropriate next step.
SEND YOUR PROJECT DETAILSShare your available plans, drawings and any correspondence or project information that explains what has been requested.
We look at the available documentation, project type and relevant information to understand which residential energy-efficiency pathway may apply.
We’ll explain the likely assessment or compliance pathway, identify any additional information required and provide a fixed quotation where appropriate.
Other residential requirements
Residential energy requirements can vary with the project, location and approval pathway. In some cases, the energy efficiency assessment is only one part of the documentation your project needs.
If another requirement applies, we can identify it during the project review and direct you to the relevant assessment rather than asking you to work through the different systems yourself.
New South Wales
Residential projects in NSW may also need to address BASIX requirements as part of the relevant planning and approval process.
Australian Capital Territory
Projects in the ACT can have territory-specific energy efficiency requirements, so the location and approval context should be considered when determining the appropriate assessment.
Beyond thermal performance
Where applicable, residential energy requirements can extend beyond the thermal performance of the building fabric to consider the energy performance of the home more broadly.
Residential energy experience
Residential energy requirements can involve different assessment pathways, terminology and jurisdiction-specific requirements. You may know what documentation has been requested without knowing which assessment sits behind it.
Certified Energy works across residential energy and compliance assessments, allowing the available project information to be reviewed in context before the appropriate next step is identified.
Experience across new homes, alterations, additions and residential developments gives the team broad context when reviewing what a project may require.
Projects can involve different residential energy assessments and compliance requirements. We review the project context rather than assuming that every request for an energy efficiency report means the same thing.
Clear communication with homeowners, architects, building designers, builders and certifiers helps establish what has been requested and what information is available.
Projects are reviewed with their location and approval context in mind, including where jurisdiction-specific residential energy requirements may need to be considered.
What to send
You do not need a complete documentation set before making an enquiry. The information already available is often enough for us to understand the project and determine what should happen next.
If something important is missing, we’ll let you know what is needed rather than asking you to work that out beforehand.
Useful information 01
Send the architectural plans, elevations, sections or other current drawings you have available for the project.
Useful information 02
The project address or location helps us understand the jurisdiction and residential energy requirements that may be relevant.
Useful information 03
Include any email, approval note, condition or request from your certifier, architect, designer or builder referring to energy efficiency or compliance.
Useful information 04
Window schedules, construction information and specifications can be useful, but you do not need to delay your enquiry if these details are not yet available.
Start with what you have
Send the plans, drawings and project information you already have. We'll review the available information, help identify the appropriate next step and let you know if anything else is required.
SEND YOUR PROJECT DETAILSFrequently Asked Questions
“Energy efficiency report” is often used as a broad description for residential energy efficiency or compliance documentation rather than the name of one universal assessment. The appropriate report or assessment can depend on the project, location and applicable approval requirements.
You may already have been given a specific requirement by your certifier, architect, designer or builder. If not, send the project information and any request you have received. We can review the available information and help identify the appropriate next step.
Not necessarily. A NatHERS assessment is a specific residential thermal performance assessment using NatHERS software. “Energy efficiency report” is a broader term and may refer to NatHERS or another applicable residential energy efficiency or compliance pathway. If you already know you need NatHERS, you can go directly to our NatHERS Assessment service.
They represent different ways residential energy efficiency requirements may be addressed. An elemental or Deemed-to-Satisfy approach assesses the project against applicable prescriptive provisions, while NatHERS uses accredited software to model residential thermal performance. If a pathway has already been nominated for your project, you can go directly to the relevant specialist service for the detailed requirements.
7-Star refers to the residential thermal performance requirement or outcome relevant to applicable projects rather than being a separate rating framework from NatHERS. NatHERS can be used to assess the thermal performance of a residential design. For project-specific information about the requirement, see our 7-Star Energy Efficiency service.
They can. The project location, building type, applicable NCC provisions and state or territory requirements can affect the documentation needed. For example, NSW and ACT projects may also involve jurisdiction-specific residential energy requirements.
Send the project information you already have. This may include plans, drawings, the project address and any email, approval note or request referring to energy efficiency or compliance. You do not need a complete documentation package or the technical name of the assessment before making an enquiry.
