A few decades ago, hardly anyone would have given serious thought to house energy rating or considered it as relevant enough. Today, the situation is different. Rising environmental concerns and need for energy conservation have led to development of regulations and laws that make it mandatory for buildings to meet certain norms.

In Australia, there is Green Building Council of Australia to evaluate environmental impacts of designs of new buildings from the angle of energy consumption, water use and indoor ambience as an outcome of building design, green house gas emissions, wastewater management and related factors that have a direct bearing on the ecological footprint. This authority awards Green Star ratings to the design of buildings based on these norms. Having such a rating benefits the builder and the tenants or residents alike as all can gain satisfaction from knowing they are doing their bit to save the environment and conserve energy. Strict eligibility criteria have to be met in order to get the requisite 45 credit points and achieve the desirable four-star rating.

Those proposing to build a new house would do well to have a competent agency check the design for energy ratings and environmental issues. A well qualified firm will carry out a comprehensive thermal energy modeling test of the design taking into consideration the overall design, materials used in construction, tiling, paint, heating and cooling methods using the JV3—verification method 3—system. The new house design should show a marked reduction in energy use than a reference building design against which the proposed design is compared.

A suitable agency will also carry out in-depth checks for the energy, waste and water use and management efficiencies in respect of the house or building design and will suggest alterations to improve such figures through audits. The agency will study the cost savings, methods of implementation and how they impact environment, payback period, reduction of greenhouse gases, waste management, water resource management and related factors. The building can also get the required green star ratings by conforming to the requirements. Today, builders and architects routinely implement these factors in plans for new houses. Once the architect prepares such plans, the proposed house owner could get it further vetted by an independent agency on the following points:
- Energy simulation and optimization systems
- Comparison of various building materials proposed to be used
- The façade, the direction in which it is facing
- Solar energy impacts, environment factors and
- energy consumption reduction through design modifications in order to have a house energy rating that is in line with current trends and requirements and conform to the Building Code of Australia.

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About the Author:
We specialises in environmental building assessments servicing the Australian built environment. These assessments include NABERS, Green Star, FirstRate and First Rate 5. Further details about House Energy Rating please visit our website.

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