QLD compliance guide
Under NCC 2022, every QLD new build must hit a 7-star thermal/fabric NatHERS rating plus a separate Whole-of-Home energy budget. Solar does not change the fabric rating. It is often the lowest-friction way to move the Whole-of-Home number.
How it counts
NatHERS used to be a thermal-only rating: how much heating and cooling energy the home would consume given its envelope, glazing, and orientation. Under NCC 2022, the rating expanded into a whole-of-home energy budget.
The home's regulated equipment (hot water, heating/cooling, lighting, pool pumps) is counted on the energy-use side, and on-site renewable generation is counted on the supply side. The net result is the Whole-of-Home score. The thermal/fabric star rating stays a fabric measure — solar does not lift it.
Solar PV is the most direct supply-side input. Every kWh the panels generate is a kWh the regulated equipment doesn't have to draw from the grid. That helps Whole-of-Home. It does not add stars to the thermal or fabric rating.
Two scores, not one
Queensland new builds are assessed on both. Do not treat a solar inclusion as a fabric-star upgrade.
| Score | What it measures | What solar does |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal / fabric star rating | Envelope, glazing, orientation, insulation | Does not lift this rating |
| Whole-of-Home energy budget | Regulated energy use vs on-site generation | Helps this score |
| Battery storage | Self-consumed generation for evening loads | Helps Whole-of-Home further |
Your assessor models the Whole-of-Home contribution from system size and the home's regulated loads. We do not publish invented star-lift numbers.
vs. upgrading insulation
Doubling the ceiling batting is labour-and-materials cost, plus time on site. On a QLD climate-zone-2 home the limiting factor is window heat gain in summer, not ceiling conduction. Marginal star uplift typically caps at 0.5 stars.
vs. upgrading glazing
Genuine 0.5–1.0 star uplift, but the design absorbs thicker frames, deeper sashes, and revised lintel details. Hard to retrofit into a release that's already drawn.
vs. orientation changes
Streetscape, easements, and crossover dictate the front of the home. This is a non-starter for most volume builders.
vs. solar PV
The build design doesn't change. Slab, frame, glazing, and roofing are unaffected. The architect only needs to confirm the primary roof plane has clear northern exposure.
Builder FAQ
The questions QLD builders ask before writing solar into a standard inclusion for Whole-of-Home.
Yes — on the Whole-of-Home side. Under NCC 2022, the whole-of-home energy assessment includes on-site renewable generation. Solar PV reduces the home's net regulated energy use. It does not lift the thermal or fabric star rating.
It helps the Whole-of-Home energy budget. It does not add stars to the thermal rating. 6.6 kW is the size we recommend as the builder default; your assessor models the Whole-of-Home contribution from the system and the home's regulated loads.
Yes — on Whole-of-Home. Storing solar for evening use further reduces grid draw. It does not lift the thermal or fabric star rating.
Usually yes, for Whole-of-Home. Solar is a single, modular line item. Insulation, glazing, and orientation changes ripple through the design and engineering — and those are the levers that actually move the thermal star rating.
Get the spec
Include solar in your build contract to help Whole-of-Home, and stop treating solar as a fabric-star upgrade. Request a solar design and we'll include the NatHERS documentation pack.
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