Whole of Home Assessment

We help you meet NatHERS Whole of Home (WoH) requirements with smart, cost-effective design and accurate modelling.

What is a Whole of Home Assessment?

A Whole of Home Assessment (WoH) evaluates how energy-efficient your entire home is—not just the building envelope, but also the appliances that consume energy daily.

Introduced under NCC 2022, the NatHERS Whole of Home rating assesses the annual energy consumption of:

Heating and cooling systems
Hot water systems
Lighting
On-site renewable energy (solar PV)
Pool and spa pumps
Cooking appliances
Major plug-in appliances (optional)

This results in a Whole of Home rating out of 100, and contributes to your compliance under the updated energy efficiency provisions in the NCC.

Why Whole of Home Assessments Are Now Required

Under NCC Volume Two Part H6, homes must now demonstrate compliance in two key areas:

Thermal Performance
This refers to the building’s ability to maintain comfort passively, and is measured through the 7-Star NatHERS Energy Rating.
Energy Usage
This is where the Whole of Home Scorecard comes in. It evaluates appliance efficiency, energy loads, and solar contribution to ensure overall performance.

A minimum score of 60 out of 100 is required to pass. This represents a well-performing home, where energy use is aligned with comfort, affordability, and sustainability.

Two Options for Whole of Home Assessments

There are two approved methods for preparing a Whole of Home Assessment:

Option 1:

Software-Based Whole of Home Assessment

This is the preferred and most accurate option. We use NatHERS-accredited software tools like FirstRate5 and Hero to model your design and appliances in detail. This method is required for projects:

With complex systems or design layouts
Where high-performance outcomes are needed
Involving energy-efficient upgrades or solar integration

The software models energy usage over every hour of the year and provides a detailed breakdown of performance, compliance, and improvement opportunities.

Option 2:

NCC Whole of Home Scorecard

This is a simpler scorecard tool provided under the NCC 2022 guidelines and can be used for buildings up to 500m². It is best suited for straightforward designs or when limited appliance details are available early in the project.

The NCC WoH Scorecard:

Is quicker to complete
Uses standardised assumptions
Can assist with early-stage compliance checks

We’ll let you know which method is best for your project after reviewing your plans and objectives.

How We Prepare a Whole of Home Report

We complete our WoH reports using approved NatHERS software tools—FirstRate5 and Hero—that are designed to model the full energy profile of your home. Our assessment process includes the following steps:

Importing your plans and modelling your home in detail
Assigning appliance specifications or generic defaults (if unknown)
Evaluating performance of systems like heating, cooling, and hot water
Calculating solar contribution and battery offsets
Analysing lighting types and internal plug loads (if required)

We then produce a Whole of Home Scorecard, which clearly identifies:

Star Rating (thermal envelope)
Energy usage in MJ/m²/year
Recommendations for improving compliance or reducing cost
Appliance and solar sizing suggestions

What’s Included in Your WoH Assessment

At the end of the process, you’ll receive a detailed package of documentation and practical recommendations tailored to your project:

A compliant Whole of Home Certificate (required under NCC 2022)
Appliance performance summary
System recommendations (e.g. reverse cycle vs gas)
Solar sizing estimate
Report and model files for submission

We also provide tailored advice for cost-saving substitutions, including:

Low-energy water heating options
Efficient reverse cycle heating/cooling units
LED lighting and smart switching
PV system trade-offs for smaller sites

When to Do a Whole of Home Assessment

We recommend you engage us at the design stage, alongside the 7-star thermal performance report. This allows you to:

Optimise appliance choices early
Ensure solar panel space is allocated
Avoid expensive last-minute changes before your building permit
Coordinate with your builder and designer for cost-effective solutions

What We Need From You to Get Started

To complete a Whole of Home assessment, we’ll need the following project details and documentation:

Construction drawings (site plan, floor plan, elevations, section)
Window schedule
Nomination of major appliances (if known)
Information on solar PV system (if included)
Any client preferences or budget considerations

If appliance specs aren’t finalised, we’ll use NatHERS default values and highlight where performance can be improved.

    
 
 
         
   Jackson T 
 May 25, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Best energy assessor's I've ever worked with. These guys have great communication, fast turn arounds and are always super helpful when requesting feedback on a design proposal.
  
 
        
   Nor Eltaha 
 May 24, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Rob from PassivEnergy managed to achieve a 7 star energy rating for my home by offering some design tips. Communication and service was excellent. Highly recommended.
  
 
        
   Nikolaos Tzovaras 
 May 23, 2023
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. PassivEnergy has been my go-to thermal performance assessing company, and their service has been consistently exceptional. Their expert team's deep knowledge and commitment to staying ahead of advancements in the field have significantly influenced the success of my building designs. Their personalised approach, professionalism, and timely delivery have made them an invaluable partner. I highly recommend PassivEnergy for their outstanding service and dedication to sustainable outcomes.
  
 
        
   Roman Z 
 October 3, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I have used the team at PassivEnergy for a few of my townhouse developments over the last couple of years. Their knowledge on the preferred preference of the individual councils I have developed in has been impressive and the tips they provided in the design layout meant I was able to save on window glazing. Thanks team, see you on the next development.
  
 
        
   Stacey Pierce 
 July 1, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Thank you Rob for your fantastic advise and knowledge. Your communication, customer service and turn around time exceed our expectations by far. We highly recommend Rob at PassivEnergy. Thank you very much.
  
 
        
   Michael Woolfe 
 December 22, 2020
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I recently dealt with Rob from Passive energy to seek some assistance with existing north facing windows adjacent to a proposed garage. Rob’s vast knowledge of the current building regulations and energy requirements made ease of understanding a tricky situation. Rob’s professionalism and efficient turnaround time to provide a solution enabled the project to keep moving forward. I would highly recommend PASSIVENERGY services for all energy performance requirements for proposed & existing dwellings. A+ service
  
 
        
   Jane RD 
 May 26, 2020
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We have been dealing with Rob and PassivEnergy for a number of years now and couldn’t speak more highly of them. They have great service and turnaround times and we’ve never had a problem while working with PassivEnergy on our projects. They are always helpful with any questions or revisions and offer solutions for those tricky situations. Rob and the team are our first port of call for energy assessments or WSUD reports. We look forward to working with the team for a long time to come. - On behalf of the team at Lateral Building Design.
  
 
        
   Kristie Nevill 
 December 7, 2017
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I found PassivEnergy via a Google search knowing nothing other than that I required an energy report for my building permit application. Rob was quick at getting back to me with a quote and very reasonably priced in comparison to his competitors. The report was detailed and he worked closely with us to answer all the questions we had. The report was delivered in the promised timeframe and the customer service was exceptional. I cannot recommend Rob and PassivEnergy more highly!
  
 
  
 
  
 
   Google rating score: 5.0 of 5, based on 18 reviews