NatHERS News February edition - Tracking milestones for Stage 2 of the expansion to existing homes

Tracking milestones for Stage 2 of the expansion to existing homes 

Key milestones have been delivered in a major step toward the release of Stage 2 of NatHERS for existing homes.

This month, an Assessor Accreditation Service Provider was contracted, and training is being rolled out for up to 120 industry transition assessors. Both contribute to a sustainable workforce scale-up, supporting capacity and demand for assessments.

To help stakeholders understand what to expect and when, we have developed a timeline that highlights key milestones and anticipated timeframes in preparation for the Stage 2 release.

The timeline is available at the top of the expansion updates webpage and will be updated as milestones are completed. 

Home energy ratings disclosure research findings

The NSW and Australian governments have wrapped up the bulk of the initial testing of the settings outlined in the Home Energy Ratings Disclosure Framework (Disclosure Framework). The Disclosure Framework sets out a national approach for providing home energy ratings to households at the point of sale or lease, which can be implemented by state and territory governments.

Findings from the testing, which are now being evaluated, included:

• up to 70% of participants support mandatory disclosure. While some had concerns, they acknowledged that if it was voluntary, people may choose not to disclose and the usefulness of ratings to compare properties will be reduced.
• having the Home Energy Rating of a property included in search results and listing landing pages alongside bed/bath/car was considered useful for consumers.
• certificates should be accessible for download in the detailed listing on real estate portals.
• help information should be made available to explain the Home Energy Rating at both the search level and on the listing landing page.
• co-locating key energy efficiency features with the Home Energy Rating wherever possible assists consumer understanding.
• disclosure of NABERS ratings and information should be provided in a way that assists owners’ corporations with decision making.
• disclosure for new builds has support from builders/developers and new home buyers. 
   

The Residential Energy Efficiency Disclosure Initiative Governance Forum (REEDI GF) is taking place in early March. The forum will discuss how to best catalyse home energy ratings and the disclosure market environment as part of the REEDI GF Strategic Plan 2026-27. An update from this meeting will be provided in next month’s newsletter