Sources
References
Every factor, star band and claim on this site comes from official Australian Government sources. The list below, in APA 7 style, covers the data used to build both calculators and the information in the explainers. All sources were verified on 25 July 2026; emission factors are current for the 2025–26 NGER reporting year.
Beneath each reference, in green, is a plain-English note on what it was used for — the notes are ours, not part of the APA citation.
Australian Building Codes Board. (2022). Standard for NatHERS heating and cooling load limits. https://www.abcb.gov.au/resource/standard/nathers-heating-and-cooling-load-limits
Used for: NCC 2022 seven-star rule and separate heating/cooling load caps
Australian Government. (2025). National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination 2008 (compilation No. 20, F2025C01192). Federal Register of Legislation. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2008L02309/latest/text
Used for: All Scope 1 fuel emission factors (Schedule 1, items 1–76) and Scope 2 electricity factors (s 7.2, items 77–83) in the emissions calculator
Clean Energy Regulator. (2025). National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting scheme. Australian Government. https://cer.gov.au/schemes/national-greenhouse-and-energy-reporting-scheme
Used for: How the NGER scheme works and who must report
Commonwealth of Australia. (2024). Your Home: Australia’s guide to environmentally sustainable homes — Passive design. https://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-design
Used for: Passive design principles (orientation, insulation, glazing, shading, sealing, thermal mass, ventilation) behind the estimator's questions
CSIRO. (2026). How NatHERS star bands were created — and how they’ve evolved. Australian Housing Data. https://ahd.csiro.au/how-nathers-star-bands-were-created/
Used for: History and methodology of the star bands, the 69 climate zones and the Chenath simulation engine
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. (2025). National Greenhouse Accounts Factors: 2025. Australian Government. https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change/publications/national-greenhouse-accounts-factors-2025
Used for: Cross-check of electricity factors (incl. WA NWIS and NT DKIS grids, national average) and COâ‚‚-e / global warming potential explanations
National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (Cth). https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2007A00175/latest/text
Used for: The legislation that created the NGER scheme
Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme. (2023). 2022 NatHERS star bands [Data set]. Australian Government. https://www.homeenergyrating.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/2022%20NatHERS%20Starbands.xlsx
Used for: The full official star-band table (69 climate zones × star levels 0.5–10.0) embedded in the estimator
Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme. (2025). Home Energy Ratings. Australian Government. https://www.homeenergyrating.gov.au/
Used for: What NatHERS is and how official ratings are produced
Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme. (2025). NatHERS climate zones — postcode list (September 2025) [Data set]. Australian Government. https://www.homeenergyrating.gov.au/industry-professionals/assessors/assessor-resources-toolkit/nathers-climate-zone-postcodes
Used for: The postcode → climate zone lookup (2,686 postcodes) embedded in the estimator
A note on currency: the NGER Measurement Determination is amended every year and NatHERS data is updated periodically. If you are using this site after the 2025–26 reporting year, check the links above for newer editions before relying on specific numbers.