NatHERS vs NABERS: Houses, Apartments & Commercial Buildings Explained (2026)
NatHERS rates how a home is designed to perform. NABERS rates how a building actually performs once it's running. Different scales, different audiences, different uses — and they don't overlap as much as you'd think.
Taylor M
NatHERS & Home Energy Specialist
The short answer
NatHERS and NABERS are both Australian energy-rating schemes — but they measure fundamentally different things. NatHERS rates the thermal performance of a home as designed (a predictive, modelling-based rating on a 0–10 star scale). NABERS rates the actual operational energy use of a building over the past 12 months (a measured, bills-based rating on a 1–6 star scale).
If you're a homeowner building or renovating, you almost certainly need NatHERS, not NABERS. If you own an apartment or commercial property and want to benchmark its real-world running costs, NABERS is the right tool.
What is NatHERS?
NatHERS (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme) is a predictive thermal-performance rating for residential buildings. An accredited assessor models how much energy your home is designed to need for heating and cooling, then issues a 0–10 star rating.
NatHERS is mandatory for new homes nationally (NCC 7-star minimum from 2025), used for renovations, and increasingly for property sales under state mandatory disclosure schemes. It does not measure plug loads, hot water or appliance use.
What is NABERS?
NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) is a measured, operational rating based on actual energy and water bills over the past 12 months. It applies to commercial offices, hotels, shopping centres, data centres, and increasingly apartment buildings (NABERS for Apartment Buildings).
NABERS uses a 1–6 star scale (6 = market-leading). Because it's based on real metered consumption, it captures everything: plug loads, lighting, lifts, hot water, HVAC operation, occupant behaviour. It's a true 'how is the building actually running' rating.
NatHERS vs. NABERS: side by side
| Attribute | NatHERS | NABERS |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Designed thermal performance | Actual measured energy use |
| Star scale | 0–10 stars | 1–6 stars |
| Building type | Houses, apartments, townhouses (residential) | Offices, hotels, retail, apartment buildings, data centres |
| Method | Software modelling from plans / on-site | 12 months of utility bills |
| Includes plug loads / appliances | No — heating & cooling only | Yes — everything metered |
| Frequency | Once per design / renovation | Renewed annually |
| Mandatory for | All new homes (NCC 7-star) | Office buildings >1,000m² for sale or lease (CBD program) |
| Typical cost | $300–$600 residential | $3,000–$15,000+ commercial |
| Who issues it | NatHERS-accredited assessor | NABERS-accredited assessor |
When you need NatHERS
- • Building, buying or renovating a house or townhouse
- • Applying for residential rebates (VEU, REPS, etc.)
- • Selling under state mandatory disclosure (ACT, pending NSW)
- • Modelling 'before vs. after' for renovations
- • Anything where the question is 'how is this home designed to perform?'
When you need NABERS
- • You own or lease commercial office space and want to benchmark its running costs
- • You're an apartment building owner / strata applying NABERS for Apartment Buildings
- • You're complying with the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program (offices >1,000m² for sale or lease)
- • You want to demonstrate sustainability credentials to tenants or investors
- • Anything where the question is 'how is this building actually running?'
Which one do you actually need?
For 99% of homeowners reading this: NatHERS is what you need. NABERS doesn't apply to standalone houses at all, and only applies to apartments via the building-level NABERS for Apartment Buildings rating (which is held by the body corporate, not individual unit owners).
If you're a building owner, developer, strata committee or commercial tenant, NABERS gives you the operational picture NatHERS can't — but you need 12 months of utility data to get rated.
The two schemes are complementary, not competing. A high NatHERS rating means a home is designed to perform well; a high NABERS rating means a building is actually performing well in operation.
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Frequently asked questions
Is NABERS the same as NatHERS?
No. NatHERS is a predictive thermal-design rating for homes (0–10 stars, based on modelling). NABERS is a measured operational rating for commercial and apartment buildings (1–6 stars, based on actual utility bills over 12 months). Different scales, different methodology, different audiences.
Can a single house get a NABERS rating?
No. NABERS for Homes was discontinued in 2014. Standalone houses are now rated under NatHERS only. NABERS still applies to office buildings, hotels, retail, data centres, and — through NABERS for Apartment Buildings — to whole apartment buildings (not individual units).
Do apartments use NatHERS or NABERS?
Both, for different purposes. Each individual apartment unit can be designed and rated under NatHERS (mandatory for new builds). The whole apartment building can additionally be rated under NABERS for Apartment Buildings for its operational performance — heating, cooling, lifts, common-area lighting and water.
Why is the NABERS scale 1–6 stars but NatHERS is 0–10?
The two schemes were developed independently. NABERS (1–6) is benchmarked against the existing building stock — 2.5 stars is average, 6 stars is market-leading. NatHERS (0–10) is benchmarked against thermal performance limits — 0 = uninhabitable, 10 = no heating or cooling needed. Both are valid; just don't try to convert directly between them.
Which is more expensive: NatHERS or NABERS?
NABERS is significantly more expensive because it's done at the building level by specialist commercial assessors. A NABERS office rating typically costs $3,000–$15,000+. A residential NatHERS assessment costs $300–$600. They're not really comparable because they target different markets.
Will NABERS replace NatHERS or vice versa?
No. They cover different building types and answer different questions. NatHERS is the national scheme for residential design; NABERS is the national scheme for measured operational performance, primarily commercial. Both are administered by the same body (CSIRO/state governments) and are designed to complement each other.
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