Residential house energy rating in Australia

All newly built residential buildings are required to comply with the energy efficiency measures introduced by all the states and territories in Australia since 2003. The measure of energy efficiency is determined using various computer based simulation tools (software) in the form of star rating ranging from 1 to 10. Generally the higher the star rating, the better the efficiency of energy used by the house. A number of simulation software tools are available to predict the energy rating. The primary objective of this paper is to review various computer based simulation tools currently used in Australia and the relative advantages of these tools. A brief description of each software is also furnished. The review revealed that several second generation simulation tools can predict better energy efficiency compared to first generation simulation tools. However, studies are required to evaluate these second generation tools as currently scant information is available to the public domain about their performance.