How to Find a NatHERS Assessor for Your Next Residential Project?

NatHERS assessors or Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme assessors are professional energy evaluators. 

They can ensure that your new or renovated home meets the minimum energy efficiency requirements for thermal comfort determined by your state or territory. 

It uses a 10-star rating system for assessing the building's thermal performance across Australia.  

Are you struggling to find a professional NatHERS assessor for your next residential construction project? Read further to uncover the best tips for hiring a well-qualified NatHERS assessor. 

Finding a Professional NatHERS assessor for Residential Construction Project 

Check qualifications

Whenever looking for a NatHERS assessor, choose the one based on the relevant building industry degree qualifications. The energy compliance assessor can be from an engineering, building design, or architecture background. 

 Moreover, look for their certifications when reviewing the NatHERS assessor's resumes. Any qualified energy assessor will have some level of certification as standard practice from a recognised institution. 

Always get your  NatHERS Certificate prepared by a professional who has knowledge of area-specific energy-using systems and building operations and codes. 

Evaluate Industry Knowledge & Expertise

 A good NatHERS assessor will have many different qualities, such as:

• He will be familiar with the latest building energy assessment best practices, including the latest technologies.

• He will be experienced in turning energy efficiency reports and designs into real projects resulting in savings on homeowner's energy bills.

• He will work for the client's best interest. 

Look for relevant capabilities

When reviewing the services offered by the NatHERS assessors, look for their full capabilities. 

Assessing whether the building is energy efficient requires multi-disciplinary knowledge of building systems and components like heating and cooling, lighting, cooking and plug-in appliances, swimming pool or spa pump equipment, etc. 

Additionally, the professional NatHERS assessor must be experienced with the occupant's behaviour and the type of building being assessed, as each building type operates differently.  

Evaluate the past project experience.

One of the best ways to evaluate the quality of the NatHERS assessor is to look at his past projects. Evaluating past projects will help determine if the assessor has the relevant expertise to deliver quality energy assessment reports. 

In addition, is the NatHERS assessor experienced in working on buildings similar to yours? 

 The past report must include multiple sections such as observations, recommendations, basis of savings, implementation notes, photos, and more. 

For instance, the observation section should describe the current systems, controls, or conditions of the existing components in the building. 

And the recommendation section should describe the energy-saving solutions.     

Issue a request for quotation (RFQ)

 Consider asking a request for quotation (RFQ) from at least 4-5 NatHERS assessors. Once you receive all quotations, compare them and choose the one suiting your budgetary needs. However, considering a request for a quotation can be daunting and unproductive if you are not aware of what to ask and look for. 

 Here listed are some valuable questions that you can ask the NatHERS assessors: 

• How many energy assessments have the assessor done in residential buildings like yours?

• What percentage of the assessor's assessments resulted in implementing energy efficiency measures and cost savings? 

Wrapping up it all 

With these tips, you can easily find the best NatHERS assessor for your next residential construction project. Remember to consider the full profile of the NatHERS assessor providing a fair quote, check the NatHERS qualification, understand the professional's expertise and experience, and look for his capabilities. 

 Proper research will help you find a qualified and experienced energy efficiency assessor for your NatHERS certificate who will lead you toward energy savings. 

Therefore, with a certified professional, you can develop a more comfortable building complying with Australia's energy efficiency requirements.