Sustainability-CZ

Climate change information

Information about Australia's past, current and future climate helps industries, governments and communities plan for and adapt to a variable and changing climate.

The chalenge

Changes to the climate system have occurred and are likely to continue. The international scientific community accepts that increases in greenhouse gases due to human activity have been the dominant cause of observed global warming since the mid-20th century. Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. Australia's changing climate represents a significant challenge to individuals, communities, governments, businesses, industry and the environment. Australia has already experienced increases in average temperatures over the past 60 years, with more frequent hot weather, fewer cold days, shifting rainfall patterns and rising sea levels. More of the same is expected in the future.

Our response

The most comprehensive climate projections for Australia We worked with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to produce the most comprehensive set of climate change projections for Australia ever released. Map of the eight regions or 'clusters' for which climate change information has been assessed The projections are presented for eight distinct regions of Australia, each of which will be affected differently by climate change. The projections are based on data from up to 40 global climate models, developed by institutions around the world, that were driven by four greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions scenarios. Results have been prepared for 21 climate variables (both on the land and in the ocean) and for four 20-year time periods (centred on 2030, 2050, 2070 and 2090).

BERS (Nathers) - thermal performance

About

The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) provides homes with a star rating out of ten based on an estimate of a home's potential (heating and cooling) energy use. By providing a measuring tape for energy efficiency, NatHERS helps to make Australian homes more comfortable for their inhabitants and help residents to save on energy bills through smarter design choices. Often good design can reduce the amount of energy needed to keep a home comfortable with no or little additional construction cost.

NatHERS is administered by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources on behalf of the states and territories. For more information on how NatHERS is run, see the Governance page.

Home energy star ratings

Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) assessments are the most common way to meet the minimum energy efficiency requirements of the National Construction Code (NCC).

Energy assessors use the NatHERS rating tools to predict the amount of heating and cooling your apartment or house will need to stay comfortable all year round. The findings are converted to a star rating between 0 and 10 stars.

BERS PRO V4.4.0.X (3.21)

The BERS (Building Energy Rating Scheme) computer program is a powerful tool that is used to simulate and analyse the thermal performance of Australian houses in climates ranging from Alpine to tropical. BERS is a Home Energy Rating Scheme that can be used to assign a star rating to a house within a particular climate type.

The user interface of the program is graphics based. Information about the building, the climate type and the conditions of use is selected from pictures displayed on the screen. Floor plans can be imported and traced with a mouse. This eliminates the need for time consuming data entry of dimensions, orientations, adjacent zones etc. making data entry fast and accurate. Calculated data is displayed in graphic form as well as being written to files.

Nathers certificate click here