Why do I need an energy rating or thermal performance assessment?
In 1996, the Australian Government attended the Kyoto conference on global warming. Australia was set a target for the year 2010 of 108% of its 1990 Greenhouse gas emissions. Approximately 12% of these emissions result from activities within the residential sector. In order to minimize Greenhouse gas emissions and minimize energy consumption from this sector, house energy rating systems were implemented to rate the energy efficiency of heating and cooling needs in various dwellings. The 5 star energy efficiency rating of all homes in Victoria became compulsory on 1st July 2005 ensuring that all new homes built after this date incorporated several environmental features such as building fabric and a rainwater tank or solar hot water service
What are the benefits of building a 5 star home ?
5 star + energy rated homes are more comfortable as they are designed to take advantage of sun, wind and rain. The rating ensures houses receive maximum winter sun and minimum summer sun maximising the benefits of natural warming and cooling. Cross-flow ventilation, window shading and solar orientation keeps them cool in summer and insulation will cut heating and cooling costs. Windows are positioned to catch the winter sun’s free heat and keep the house warm in winter.
As a result the home will not need to rely heavily on mechanical heating and cooling and are therefore cheaper to run and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
What areas of my plan will be assessed for 5 Star energy efficiency?
5 star, 6 Star - 10 Star Energy Rating is achieved through orientation of the house, good design ensuring living areas make maximum use of the northern sunlight, improved insulation and cross-flow ventilation. There will always be several different ways to achieve 5 star energy efficiency. Features such as orientation, internal design, building materials, shading of windows, roof and wall insulation, window glazing, and the installation of a solar hot water service or a rain water tank are all taken into account
Who can perform an assessment?
Any person who is accredited by Sustainability Victoria (SV) to provide house energy ratings in Victoria can issue a certified 5 star energy rating report. HomeStar staff are fully accredited FirstRate 5 with the SV and can therefore issue certified ratings of house plans for submission to council as part of the required building permit
What tools are used to assess my plans? FirstRate house energy rating software is used to rate each plan. FirstRate assesses the thermal performance of each dwelling including the levels of wall and ceiling insulation, the orientation of the house, window size and shading, and the thermal mass of the structure. Once all data has been entered into FirstRate, the heating and cooling energy requirements are then used to calculate a Star Rating for the dwelling.
A 0 star rating indicates that the dwelling in inefficient and will be uncomfortable without a lot of heating in winter and cooling in summer. A 5 star house indicates a high level of energy efficiency and will require minimal heating and cooling to be comfortable in winter and summer
What do I have to provide for HomeStar to complete an assessment?
Detailed architectural plans should include elevation map, total area of the dwelling, full floor plans, all window sizes including window framing material, orientation of the dwelling, floor covering of each room and insulation to be used in ceilings and walls.
Plans can be emailed to HomeStar in PDF format to plans@homestar.com.au
What happens if my plan does not meet the specified energy rating in my state? If your design fails to meet the required star rating, HomeStar will provide additional reports to reflect suggested design changes at no additional cost. Once changes have been made to the plans, they can be re-emailed to HomeStar plans@homestar.com.au so we can re-assess your designs. HomeStar offer a fixed flat rate fee so you will not incur extra charges.
Other State Legislations South Australia – as of 5th May 2006, all new homes built in SA need to meet the minimal energy efficiency of either obtaining 5 star energy efficiency rating or meet the ‘Deemed to Satisfy’ option. The Deem to satisfy option specifies levels of added insulation required in the ceiling and roof resulting in overall levels of insulation of R2.7 and R1.4 respectively. This legislation applies to both new homes and extensions
