All new Big Housing Build homes constructed by Homes Victoria and community housing providers will meet:
- a minimum 7-star Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) energy efficiency standard to ensure a comfortable living environment and low energy costs
- a minimum 5-star Green Star certification
- new housing designed in accordance with the Liveable Housing Design Guidelines - Silver Level, where residents can more easily age in place
- new and rejuvenated shared green and open-spaces designed to promote integration and community.
It’s the first time that social housing in Victoria has been required to meet such a high environmental standard – so lower energy costs for tenants and less carbon into the environment. The new homes minimise energy (gas and electricity) costs by being cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
This means homes will be built to a much higher standard than historic public housing dwellings.
NatHERS
NatHERS is a star rating system that scores the energy efficiency of a home out of a possible ten stars.
Stars are awarded based on the design of the home. Often good design can reduce the amount of energy needed to keep a home comfortable with no or little additional construction cost. This will be an important objective for the Big Housing Build.