Home Energy Rating brand is coming soon!

The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is preparing for an exciting new chapter with the forthcoming roll out of Stage 2 of the existing homes expansion.

Stage 2 now heralds another major milestone, with the introduction of the consumer facing Home Energy Rating brand in mid-2026.

The new brand, informed by market research, is helping simplify the concept of residential energy ratings for Australian households. It aims to capture consumer attention, engage and empower them to make informed decisions regarding the energy performance of their home.

The NatHERS brand will continue to be used for regulatory, governance, compliance and administrative activities. It remains the underpinning Scheme that ensures reliable assessments and accredits assessors and software. You'll still see the NatHERS name and logo used in materials that refer to these Scheme activities.

New chapter, new website, new content 

A new homeenergyrating.gov.au website – to be launched in mid-2026 – will feature a new modern look and feel, improved search functions and content.

Content on nathers.gov.au will be relocated to this new site with all links automatically redirected.

A suite of resources including animated videos, existing homes upgrade advice and fact sheets will also be available.

The ‘Find an Assessor’ function is another exciting addition. Users simply type in an address to find an existing homes accredited assessor that delivers services in their area.

Visitors to the new site will still have easy access to industry-focused information including NatHERS technical, governance and policy documents.

We’ll keep you updated

Make sure you keep an eye out for our newsletters with all the latest on the release of Stage 2 of NatHERS for existing homes and the launch of the new Home Energy Rating website. 

Assessor accreditation update 

Design Matters National (DMN) is now providing all existing homes assessor accreditation services. This includes processing of assessor accreditation applications, delivery of continuing professional development (CPD), mentoring, and technical support.

There are currently no additional membership or accreditation fees to become an existing homes assessor. This is the case regardless of whether the applicant is a new entrant, an existing DMN member, or a new homes assessor registered with another Assessor Accrediting Organisation (AAO).

For information on how to become accredited as an existing homes assessor, visit DMN's website. If you need support you can contact DMN by email: EHAadmin@designmatters.org.au

New homes process unchanged

Arrangements for NatHERS for new homes assessors will continue unchanged and assessors can be accredited with the AAO of their choice - ie either with Australian Building Sustainability Accreditation, DMN, or House Energy Raters Association.

Assessors don't need to be accredited with DMN as a new homes assessor to apply for (or maintain) accreditation with DMN as an existing homes assessor.

Supporting uptake of home energy ratings

The Residential Energy Efficiency Disclosure Initiative Governance Forum (REEDI GF) is overseeing the implementation of the Home Energy Ratings Disclosure Framework.

Each REEDI GF member has identified actions for their sector, which would help drive the uptake of home energy ratings and energy efficiency upgrades during a Market-Driven Phase of ratings disclosure. A summary of these actions will be included in the next newsletter.

To support the actions and householder understanding of home energy ratings and disclosure, a range of products are being tested with consumers during May. Products include:

• a postcard and brochure featuring information on ratings and links to helpful websites
• upgrade examples with potential home energy rating and star rating changes, costs and savings
• a factsheet on the benefits of different upgrades.

Research is also underway on the Home Energy Rating certificate. Initial findings include:

• around nine in 10 Australians feel the certificate is easy to understand
• 82% found the ‘Building upgrades’ section useful
• those buying a home noted it could inform purchasing decisions.
   

The communications products and certificate will be updated based on research findings to support the release of Stage 2 of NatHERS for existing homes in mid-2026.