There’s more than one way to comply.

Many builders assume a 7-star NatHERS rating, now branded Home Energy Rating, is the only way to meet the NCC’s heating and cooling requirement for a new house. It isn’t.

The NCC says its Performance Requirements can be met by a Deemed-to-Satisfy Solution, a Performance Solution, or a combination of both. For houses, a NatHERS rating is one Deemed-to-Satisfy option. The elemental provisions are another. And H6V2, a Verification Method written into the Code itself, can support a Performance Solution.

Same Code. Same Performance Requirement. A different route. Which one costs least depends on the design, and sometimes the answer is NatHERS.