Gregory Mason, Stud.AIRAH
The University of Queensland
Beyond NaTHERS: How can Australia build better homes?
While the Australian Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) was designed to improve house energy efficiency in the country, the compliant housing stock performs poorly compared to international standards. The international Passive House (PH) energy standard is used as a reference to understand limitations of NatHERS that may impact this design and assessment method.
To compare these tools, a reference home was modelled using Herov3.0.1 software (NatHERS) and PHPP10 (PH standard). The underlying assumptions in both models were aligned to compare calculation methodologies and results, providing a possible pathway to improve the Australian rating system for higher housing performance.
About Gregory Mason
Gregory Mason is a Senior Sustainability Consultant with WSP Australia, and a Master of Philosophy (MPHil) candidate in the School of Architecture at the University of Queensland. His research is focused on designing high-performance home design in warm, humid climates.
As well as 10 years of experience as a mechanical engineer and sustainability professional, Gregory is a Certified Passive House Designer, Accredited NABERS Assessor, Green Star and LEED Associated Professional and experienced NatHERS assessor. Originally from the Canadian prairies, he is based in Brisbane, with an aim to improve the built environment in Queensland.
(LinkedIn)