NCC 2022 raised the bar for new homes across Australia. New dwellings now need a higher thermal-comfort rating and must meet a new whole-of-home energy target. Here's how NatHERS works, what changed, and how accredited software like HERO is used to model and certify a compliant home.
What is a NatHERS rating?
NatHERS — the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme — rates a home's thermal performance on a scale of 0 to 10 stars. Accredited software models the building's geometry, construction, glazing, orientation and shading, then simulates a full year against local climate data to estimate the heating and cooling energy the home needs. The less energy required to stay comfortable, the higher the star rating.
What changed under NCC 2022
NCC 2022 introduced two key residential energy requirements:
- 7-star thermal performance — up from the previous 6-star minimum, making the building fabric work harder.
- A new Whole-of-Home (WoH) energy budget — a holistic annual energy-use score out of 100 that also accounts for major appliances.
In practice:
- New houses: 7 stars and a Whole-of-Home score of 60.
- New apartments: an average of 7 stars (with no apartment below 6) and a Whole-of-Home score of 50.
The Whole-of-Home rating, briefly
Where the star rating focuses on the building fabric (heating & cooling), Whole-of-Home looks at the energy used by major equipment — heating and cooling systems, hot water, lighting and pool/spa pumps — and credits on-site solar PV. It rewards efficient systems and renewables, giving a fuller picture of how much energy the home will actually use.
Where HERO fits in
HERO is one of the NatHERS-accredited assessment tools (alongside FirstRate5, BERS Pro and AccuRate), fully accredited for both star ratings and Whole-of-Home assessments for NCC 2022. In HERO, the assessor builds the home from the plans — zones, walls, glazing, roof and shading — sets the climate zone and regulatory profile, and runs the simulation to produce the star rating and the official NatHERS certificate required for approval.
How to reach 7 stars
Hitting 7 stars is very achievable with a fabric-first approach: good orientation, well-specified glazing (and the right amount on each facade), effective shading and eaves, continuous insulation, reduced thermal bridging, and attention to air tightness. Modelling these early — before the design is locked — is the cheapest way to find the most cost-effective path to compliance.
Need a NatHERS rating for your NCC 2022 project?
We model homes in HERO to achieve 7 stars and Whole-of-Home compliance — and issue the NatHERS certificate you need for approval. Let's talk.
Get in touchThis article is general guidance and reflects information available at the time of writing. NCC and NatHERS requirements and state adoption dates can change — always confirm current requirements for your jurisdiction and project.