Pick up where you left off.
Course Content
Getting NatHERS Right Before It Goes to the Assessor
Most NatHERS rework traces back to choices that were cheap to change at concept.
Design for the energy rating from the first sketch. How NatHERS produces the seven star thermal result and the Whole-of-Home score, the fabric levers that move the star rating, the services choices that tip the second number, and the documentation and change control that let the assessment run once, without clarification requests or re-rates.
Secure card checkout. Tax invoice emailed.
4 modules, final quiz and certificate.
Introduction and objectives
Why NatHERS arrives as a late surprise for so many practices, and how this hour moves it back to the drawing board.
How NatHERS Works and Where the Rating Is Won
Tell the thermal star rating from the Whole-of-Home score, and know what the assessor controls and what your design locks in.
The Design Levers That Move the Star Rating
Use orientation, glazing, shading, zoning, insulation, air sealing and thermal mass at concept, where they cost least.
Whole-of-Home: Where Services Decisions Tip the Result
Settle hot water, heating and cooling and solar early enough to model, so late services assumptions do not force a re-rate.
Documentation and Handover That Prevents Rework
Hand the assessor a complete set led by the glazing schedule, pre-empt clarification requests and put change control on rated elements.
Summary & Key Takeaways
Fabric first, services second, document completely and engage the assessor early.
Final quiz and certificate
Ten questions on the rating, the design levers, services and handover. Pass and the certificate goes straight into your dashboard.
Intermediate. For designers who carry houses from concept to approval and already know the residential provisions and Deemed-to-Satisfy pathways. Covers how NatHERS and Whole-of-Home results are produced, the design and services levers, and assessor-ready documentation. It does not teach assessor software, and energy pathways vary by state.
Written for the people who decide the rating before the assessor sees it.
Architects
You set the orientation, glazing and massing that decide most of the rating, long before the assessor models it.
Building designers
You carry the house from sketch to approval, and a short rating late in the piece comes out of your margin.
NatHERS energy assessors
You want a complete set, led by a full glazing schedule, so the assessment runs once instead of three times.
Residential builders
You build to the rated design, and a substituted window or hot water unit on site can quietly undo it.
Building surveyors
You check that the energy certificate still describes the building that was documented and built.
Where this hour goes on your record.
National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA 2021) performance criteria this course aligns with:
Budget and timeframe against codes and requirements
Building science to optimise design performance
Energy and sustainability over the project lifecycle
Integrating thermal and environmental systems
Accurate, on-time documents for stakeholders
| If you are | How it is recorded |
|---|---|
| A building designer | 1 CPD point. Your certificate, the learning outcomes, the module outline and your quiz result are kept in your dashboard, so you can show what you studied if your CPD is audited. |
| An architect | 1 formal CPD point. Aligned with NSCA 2021 performance criteria PC20, PC28, PC31, PC33 and PC47. |
| A NatHERS assessor, builder or building surveyor | 1 hour of CPD on NatHERS and Whole-of-Home design and documentation, recorded on your certificate for your accrediting organisation, registration body or state scheme. |
CPD On Demand is not a registered training organisation and courses are not accredited by any registration body. Each course is aligned with the relevant competency frameworks and gives you the records to evidence it. CPD rules differ by registration body and state, so check with yours if you are unsure.
Pairs well with.
Beyond 7 Stars: Passive Design Tactics That Actually Work in NatHERS
The passive tactics that move the result, and the ones the engine ignores.
When a Design Change Triggers a Whole-of-Home Re-Rating
After the rating: which changes reopen it, and how to time them.
Designing for 7-Star Compliance on Difficult Sites: Slopes and Overshadowing
The same levers when the site will not give you north.
Before you enrol.
Win the rating at the drawing board and hand the assessor a set that runs once, in one self-paced hour.
$99, 60 minutes, certificate on completion.