HITTING 8 STARS FOR A GREEN LOAN, WA
A homeowner in Western Australia needed his new home to reach at least 7.5 NatHERS stars to secure a green loan. Neither his designer nor the builders he’d spoken with had ever achieved that level of performance. That’s where we came in.
Project snapshot
- Project: New two-storey home
- Location: Western Australia
- Goal: minimum 7.5 NatHERS stars for green loan eligibility
- Scenarios modelled: nearly 50
- Result: 8 stars achieved
Our approach
We modelled nearly 50 scenarios exploring different construction, window and shading options, and recorded the 23 most viable ones that aligned with the owner’s vision.
Scenario 21 — 7.5 stars
The closest match to the construction method he wanted to pursue:
- Ground floor: double brick walls with 50mm insulation
- First floor: reverse brick veneer with R2.5 insulation
- Rigid ceiling insulation: R4.1 + R1.3
- uPVC windows (mixed single and double glazing)
- Ceiling fans and external louvres to manage heat gain
- Highlight louvre added on the north
- Insulated garage panel lift door
Scenario 20 — 8 stars
Then we pushed further, all the way to 8 stars:
- Insulated double brick on both floors, with EIFS cladding upstairs
- Waffle pod slab and suspended concrete first floor
- Double glazing throughout (very minimal aluminium)
- Fewer skylights to reduce overheating
- Strategic tweaks to window heights and flooring materials
- The same passive cooling strategies as above
The result
A compliant, high-performing home — and a clear path to the green loan. This is what we love doing: helping builders, designers and homeowners find real, achievable ways to improve energy performance and unlock better outcomes.
NEED TO HIT A SPECIFIC
NATHERS TARGET?
We’ll help you get there — with smart, cost-effective design advice that works.
