NatHERS Existing Homes Energy Efficiency Rating Trial – Scale Stream Opteon

Project overview

In April 2023, the Australian Government announced funding to expand the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) to offer energy assessment and ratings for existing homes. This would involve modelling of existing homes through the CSIRO developed AccuRate Enterprise – Existing (AE-E) software to obtain an energy star rating.

One of the challenges of modelling existing homes is obtaining the dimensional data that is required.  Unlike new homes that have dimensioned plans, existing homes generally don’t have plans and traditionally a time-consuming onsite measure up has been required. CSIRO have been exploring how to better streamline the data collection process for AE-E. One such method is using LiDAR scanning technology built into mobile devices to collect and record spatial dimensions coupled with survey questions to capture construction information. This can then be exported directly into AE-E to simplify a full NatHERS energy rating. 

This project aims to undertake field trials of this proposed methodology to explore its feasibility and accuracy.

The overall project is being funded by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and CSIRO.  The banking sector is funding the collection of the data and the energy assessment.

What does participation involve?

Participation in these trials will involve you granting permission for a fully trained and accredited valuation professional to access your home scan and collect construction information of your home.  The scan and data collected will then be provided to a qualified energy rating assessor to undertake an energy assessment of your home.   The scan and data gathering process will take up to an hour to complete but may take longer on larger and more complicated homes.  There will be no cost involved to the homeowner.

Would you like to be involved?

If you would like to be involved, then please download and read through this Research Participant Information Sheet. It outlines all the information you need and also has contact details of the research leads if you would like to ask further questions. It also covers the important issue of your privacy and how we will use the data we collect.

After you have read this information and are happy to be involved, then please complete the consent form below.

Consent Form

Please read through the following terms and conditions, complete the details and tick and submit the form.

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• I have agreed to participate in the above project being conducted by CSIRO.
• I have been provided with information about the project and had any questions regarding my participation and any associated risks and benefits answered to my satisfaction. I understand my participation in the research will allow a fully trained valuer to undertake a measure up of my home and collect relevant information. This may include a LiDAR scan of my house. This information will then be passed onto a fully qualified energy rating assessor to undertake an energy assessment of my house.
•  I understand that the personal information collected in this consent form will be provided to the valuation firm for the purposes of completing the inspection and delivering the energy assessment.
• I understand that the energy rating results of my house will be provided back to the valuation firm that undertook the data gathering and will also be provided to the bank that commissioned the assessment.
• I have been provided with contact details of the investigating officers and understand that I can contact them at any point during the study. I have also been provided with the contact details of an independent ethics officer at CSIRO should I wish to raise any concerns or complaints about the conduct of the research.
• I may withdraw from the study without penalty or explanation at any point up until the time the assessment is completed.
• If I have concerns about my data after the assessment is completed, I can contact CSIRO which will make all reasonable efforts to re-identify my data and remove it from the study.
• I understand that the information I provide for this research will be used for the following purposes: for scholarly publications, conference presentations and reports, media releases and public datasets, and will be treated confidentially. I will not be identified in any publications resulting from the study except where I have given my written permission for this to occur.
• I understand that results and property data from the energy assessment may be utilised by the bank and the valuer to undertake additional analysis and they may use the information to develop and or market products and services.
• Information provided by me will only be accessed by members of the research team and used for the purposes outlined above and will be stored securely.

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• I have read the conditions and consent to be a part of the trial

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