Blog icon

The challenge

Growing demand for energy efficient houses

Energy efficiency is the new must have in house design. Home builders want houses that are comfortable, and they want this comfort delivered in a cost-effective, sustainable manner.

There is a growing demand for energy efficient houses. ©  CSIRO, CT Image Technology

Australia's climate varies significantly across the continent, and even within individual states. Houses need to be designed to adapt to their unique environment whether that is tropical Darwin or chilly Hobart.

The challenge is being able to model how a particular house design will respond to the local climate and tweak this design to achieve the best energy efficiency with minimum costs.

Our response

Dynamic numeric model calculates energy requirement

In response to this need, CSIRO has developed a software tool called AccuRate — building on decades of scientific research and lessons from over a decade of the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme program.

AccuRate enables house designers to model a house to a fine level of detail, calculate temperatures, heating and cooling energy requirements on an hourly basis, and assess a house’s energy efficiency in any one of 69 different climatic zones in Australia.

AccuRate helps designers delivery energy efficient homes ©  Energy Inspection

AccuRate can model up to 50 living spaces and 99 zones within a home; a significant increase from the earlier modelling software. The model includes a wide range of factors that impact a house’s energy efficiency; such as natural ventilation, insulation, air leakage, thermal mass, roof spaces, sub-floor spaces, skylights, horizontal reflective air gaps, windows, and external shading structures such as neighbouring buildings, trees and fences.

AccuRate allows designers to flip and rotate buildings, which is particularly useful in assessing the energy efficiency of apartment complexes or large housing projects. It also includes extra modules that allow designers to investigate other sustainability parameters outside the energy efficiency rating, like lighting, space heating and cooling, hot water, water usage, and embodied carbon dioxide.

The results

Internationally acclaimed program for energy efficient house design

Developed in partnership with the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, the AccuRate program is the result of decades of experience and research in house energy modelling.

The program has been assessed against the International Energy Agency BESTEST, which found that it compared well against their eight reference programs from the US and Europe.

AccuRate is currently the benchmark software for house energy rating in Australia for compliance with the national building code. It helps move Australian houses into a new era of comfort and energy efficiency.

Related to this page

Do business with us to help your organisation thrive

We partner with small and large companies, government and industry in Australia and around the world.

Contact us now to start doing business

Contact us

Find out how we can help you and your business. Get in touch using the form below and our experts will get in contact soon!

CSIRO will handle your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and our Privacy Policy.


First name must be filled in

Surname must be filled in

I am representing *

Please choose an option

Please provide a subject for the enquriy

0 / 100

We'll need to know what you want to contact us about so we can give you an answer

0 / 1900

You shouldn't be able to see this field. Please try again and leave the field blank.