Energy ratings come under fire

ENERGY assessors want the federal government to take responsibility for the management and development of discredited software tools.

ENERGY assessors want the federal government to take responsibility for the management and development of discredited software tools.

The software is under fire for failing to accurately measure the star ratings of new homes.

The chief executive of the peak body for energy assessors, Alison Carmichael, yesterday called for better resourcing and technical input from the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency to improve the software tools and respond to concerns and questions.

Ms Carmichael said that at present, the majority of assessments "are conducted with no quality assurance. Faulty assessments may cost the industry and householders thousands of dollars and harden the construction industry's resolve to resist energy efficiency initiatives."

The Australian has revealed that energy efficiency experts and scientists, industry groups and manufacturers have separately uncovered multiple problems with the software tools, which are used by energy assessors to determine the star rating of proposed new Australian homes.

Independent tests on the only three tools that are permitted show they give inconsistent results and can differ by more than 3 stars on an identical house, meaning builders and home owners are wasting time and money.

A planned home must achieve a five-star rating to be approved under the building code of Australia. From next year, as a result of a federal government policy change, anyone selling or seeking to lease a home will be required to get an energy rating, which will be subject to mandatory disclosure.

The Department of Climate Change has been criticised for failing to respond to concerns the software tools that affect the materials and design of homes are fundamentally flawed. The department and Climate Change Minister Penny Wong have declined to comment.