NatHERS Accredited Software — FirstRate5, BERS Pro & AccuRate Compared (2026)
Only three tools are accredited to produce a valid NatHERS certificate. Here's how FirstRate5, BERS Pro and AccuRate compare on cost, workflow, best-use case and NCC 2022 Whole of Home support.
What is NatHERS accredited software?
NatHERS accredited software is thermal-performance software approved by the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme administrator to model a home and produce a compliance-grade NatHERS certificate. All three accredited tools run the same Chenath simulation engine under the hood, so — for a well-built model — you should get materially identical star ratings from any of them.
The difference is workflow, drafting interface, price and market: which tool your assessor is trained on matters far more than the software itself.
Side-by-side comparison (2026)
| Feature | FirstRate5 | BERS Pro | AccuRate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher | Sustainability Victoria | Energy Inspection | CSIRO |
| Engine | Chenath | Chenath | Chenath |
| Annual licence | ~$770 | ~$1,100 | ~$660 |
| Drafting | Built-in drag & drop | Zone entry + DXF import | Zone entry only |
| Best for | Class 1 project homes, renos, VIC/NSW | Complex multi-res, QLD tropical | Passive House, R&D, unusual construction |
| Whole of Home (NCC 2022) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Market share (AU) | ~65% | ~25% | ~10% |
| Typical certificate fee | $300–$700 | $400–$800 | $500–$900 |
Licence pricing indicative for a single-user commercial subscription; check each publisher for current AAO discounts.
FirstRate5 — the market default
Published by Sustainability Victoria, FirstRate5 is the tool most Australian assessors are trained on. Its integrated drafting canvas — trace over a scanned or PDF plan, drop in walls, windows and zones — means fast turnaround on standard project homes, extensions and renovations. It's the default choice for VIC BASIX/Scorecard work and dominates NSW BASIX practitioners.
Weakness: the built-in drafting struggles with curved walls, split-level splits and highly articulated multi-residential floor plates. For those, assessors either export to BERS Pro or pre-model geometry in CAD.
BERS Pro — the multi-residential workhorse
BERS Pro (Building Energy Rating Scheme, from Energy Inspection) is the go-to for large Class 1 estates and Class 2 apartment towers, particularly in Queensland and the tropics. It handles DXF import cleanly, supports large numbers of zones without a performance hit, and its shading engine is preferred by many practitioners for eaves and neighbour-overshadowing modelling.
Cost is higher and the interface is less visual than FirstRate5, so it's rarely the first tool a new assessor learns.
AccuRate — the CSIRO reference tool
AccuRate Sustainability is developed by CSIRO, the same team that maintains the Chenath engine. It's the reference implementation used to validate FirstRate5 and BERS Pro, and it's popular with Passive House designers, research projects and unusual construction (rammed earth, ICF, hempcrete) where exact fabric libraries matter more than drafting speed.
Its interface is the most spartan of the three — no drag-and-drop drafting — which is why practical assessors reach for it only when a project needs it.
How to pick — decision shortcut
- Standard project home, reno or extension: any assessor using FirstRate5 will be fastest and cheapest.
- Apartment block, townhouse estate, complex geometry: ask for BERS Pro.
- Passive House target, unusual materials or research: AccuRate.
- You just want the rating: pick the assessor on price/reviews — the software they use won't change your stars.
NCC 2022 Whole of Home — all three now support it
Since October 2023, NCC 2022 requires both a thermal star rating (minimum 7 stars) and a Whole of Home score (minimum 60) for new Class 1 and Class 2 sole-occupancy units. All three accredited tools were updated to produce both outputs on a single certificate — you don't need separate software.
Find an assessor by software
Every accredited assessor on our directory lists the software they use. Filter by state and message the practitioner directly — you'll usually have a quote within a day.