Graham EnergyGraham EnergyGraham EnergyGraham Energy
  • About us
  • News/Information
  • Contact us

Welcome to Graham Energy

Thank you for visiting and did you know...

Superior thermal energy ratings equal;

  • Higher year-round enjoyable thermal comfort.
  • Lower ongoing home running expenses for heating, cooling and power consumption.
  • As much as 10% higher resale value of your home according to numerous Real Estate Institute of Australia reports.
  • Lower home loan interest rates (Bank Australia – Clean Energy Home Loan and Commonwealth Bank – Green Home Offer) thus lower the overall cost of your home, which all means more money in your pocket over the life of your home… a financial benefit not to be overlooked.
  • Not to mention the lower carbon impact on your home, meaning you’re doing something incredibly beneficial and important for the planet.

Did you also know, that the higher your NatHERS energy star rating is (10 Star being the maximum), the greater the economic benefits you will gain?

A NatHERS 6-Star energy rating is the minimum required by the National Construction Code (NCC); however, a 7-Star energy rating is being considered the mandatory minimum in 2022. Is your design team planning for this?

Looking for a Sustainable Building Specialist?

10 reasons why engaging with Graham Energy, your NatHERS qualified energy rating (thermal performance) consultant, early in the design phase of your building project can help you achieve all these benefits and more…

  • Cost-effectively attain your thermal performance ambitions for your home. Early consultation with Graham Energy will offer you a range of ideas and principles that will help you grasp a sound understanding of how typical energy-efficient design and building features are best designed into your project from inception.
  • Becoming fully informed in this way is guaranteed to save you time, money and frustrations in your building project journey and provide the energy efficiency and thermal comfort outcomes you actually want to achieve for your finished home.
  • Industry-leading Sustainable Building Specialist – with an international architectural background coupled with over 13 years serving the energy efficiency industry, assures you of the most informed, integrated and sensitive approach, maintaining your project’s essence without compromising your end home design energy performance result.
  • Extensively qualified flexibility – while most energy assessors are qualified in one or two energy rating software tools, Graham Energy Principal Matthew Graham is qualified and accredited in all four NatHERS energy rating software tools. This provides unique flexibility and promises the most appropriate technical approach and practical outcome for your particular building project’s design specifications.
  • Industry-leading design advice – Matthew Graham is considered a thought leader and one of the most highly regarded and qualified Building Sustainability and Thermal Performance Assessors across the Australian industry.
  • Collaborative approach – Graham Energy is focused on delivering an optimal thermal performance assessment solution (6-Star+ energy rating report) where collaboration with you and your design team is the key to success.
  • Personalised professional prompt – at Graham Energy, we pride ourselves on providing genuine personal and professional service. You’ll find no automated website feature to upload your project, then wait on a faceless response. Rather you can expect a friendly call and ongoing consultation to learn more about your project to determine a tailored solution for you.
  • Your work will always be carried out in house – perhaps most importantly, all work is conducted in house. You are guaranteed that your project will never be sent offshore, so when you contact Graham Energy with a query, you will always receive a personal and prompt reply.
  • Extensive knowledge of National, State and Local Government building code regulations means your project and budget are not at risk of blowing out due to failure to meet regulatory requirements.
  • Quality assurance – Graham Energy is a professional NatHERS accredited organisation. As such, the practice is subject to quality assurance reviews and mandatory annual continuing professional development activity. This means you can be confident that any advice, recommendations and energy rating reports are of the highest industry standards and accountability.
With energy efficiency established as the core value of your building project, the design process is then easily informed and led by those values, resulting in a seamless design process and a beautiful home that’s cost-effective and comfortable to live in year-round. However, viewing your energy efficiency report as an afterthought or a necessary add on towards the end of the design phase to pass building approval tends to be a clunky approach, often leading to poor results requiring design changes to reach minimum building standards.

Whether simply wanting to attain the minimum 6-Star energy rating to get council building permit approval or you’re reaching for the pinnacle of a 10-Star home energy rating, Graham Energy is here to help you.

EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE

With an international architectural background, coupled with over 13 years of servicing the building sustainability and home energy efficiency industry, including a collaborative team player approach, Graham Energy has certainly earned its stripes as an industry leader.

Furthermore, Graham Energy Principal Matthew Graham sits on numerous Technical Advisory Boards, actively contributing to home energy efficiency and sustainability policy and regulations.

By putting your project into the hands of Graham Energy, you are assured of the most professional, technically, and practically sound outcome, whether your end goal is a minimum 6 Star or ultimate 10 Star NatHERS rating.

INDUSTRY ACCLAIMED

Not only does Graham Energy provide industry-leading NatHERS home energy rating services to homeowners, Builders, Architects and Building Design professionals, they are also recognised as subject matter experts across the Australian energy rating landscape.

Providing industry-acclaimed FirstRate5 and Hero (Home Energy Rating & Optimisation) energy rating software workshops plus continuing professional development (CPD) webinars endorsed and hosted exclusively through Design Matters National (formerly the Building Designers Association of Victoria (BDAV)) to elevate Assessor and industry standards is a testament to our dedication to excellence.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Graham Energy also provides a prompt concise independent Technical Help Desk service to the industry.

Fellow Assessors can seek technical interpretation of the National Construction Code (NCC) and NatHERS regulations, together with technical support and personal mentoring on occasions when unusual projects and software modelling scenarios arise.

Matthew Graham has also provided technical support to the Australian Building Sustainability Association (ABSA), Sustainability Victoria and advises Design Matters National (formerly BDAV) for over a decade.

PERSONAL SERVICE

The team at Graham Energy pride themselves on providing genuine personal, prompt and professional service. You’ll find no automated website to upload your projects and are then left to wait.

At Graham Energy, you’ll have a friendly phone chat to learn more about the intricacies of your project so that the best-tailored solution can be determined.

More importantly, your work is guaranteed to be conducted locally and never sent offshore where your local conditions and council building permit requirements may not be well understood, leaving your project vulnerable to delays and additional expense to overcome errors.

AWARD WINING

Graham Energy is an awarding winning practice in building sustainability and the proud recipient of the Building Design Association Victoria (BDAV) 10 Star Sustainable Design Challenge together with Maxa Design – no easy feat to achieve a 10 Star energy rating.

Additionally, Matthew Graham was also honoured to receive the 2020 Ronald Pickford Award for Service Excellence by Design Matters National (formerly the BDAV).

EXPERIENCED TRAINER

Graham Energy Principal Matthew Graham is a NatHERS Administrator endorsed Trainer in an additional NatHERS software tool and provides training as a highly respected subject matter expert to Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), including Transformed and previously Chisholm Institute, to educate and nurture new entrants into the building sustainability and energy rating industry.

Matthew has also lectured architecture students at Monash University on using NatHERS software tools to explore better design outcomes. Graham Energy is proud to be recognised as an official Hero Support Partner.

Students interested in attaining the CPP41119 Certificate IV in Home Energy Efficiency and Sustainability qualification may wish to consider Transformed for their course of study.

With better design and material methodology, the pinnacle of a NatHERS 10-Star energy rating is not only now attainable and more affordable, but there is an increasing number of homes across Australia that have attained this zenith.

Why do I need an 'energy rating'?

The Australian Federal Government introduced energy rating in an attempt to reduce the amount of energy households consume and lower greenhouse gas emissions produced from generating electricity.

An energy rating is simply a standard calculation of a building’s energy performance. Essentially a measure of how much energy your house will use to maintain a standard level of thermal comfort over a theoretical year. It’s important to understand that an ‘energy rating’ is not a real model but a thermal simulation which can be used to determine regulatory compliance.

For this purpose, an accredited assessor must use a standard calculation method utilising Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) approved software. We understand that projects vary and you need the right tool for the job, which is why we have extensive experience in AccuRate Sustainability, BERS Pro, FirstRate5 and Hero. For clients who have adopted ArchiCAD, we can also utilise inbuilt energy efficiency calculation for preliminary and schematic design advice.

An energy-efficient house can be more comfortable and affordable whilst also being environmentally responsible and help improve our economy.

Watch a video explaining NatHERS on the NatHERS Administrator website.

Whether you’re building a new residential dwelling, residential alteration and addition or apartment development, all are required to comply with the National Construction Code (NCC).

All new residential dwellings in Victoria should be designed to a minimum 6-Star standard using House Energy Rating Scheme (HERS) software, include artificial lighting calculations and the installation of either a rainwater tank or solar hot water service.

Residential alteration and additions in Victoria may use the elemental Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) provision or use House Energy Rating Scheme (HERS) software to assess the existing house separately and then the overall design to determine the required star rating based on a linear relationship between the star rating and building volume.

All new residential multi-dwelling developments in Victoria must reach a total average 6 Star standard with a minimum 5 Star standard for each dwelling using House Energy Rating Software (HERS).

It’s important to remember that documentation must be provided to Council or your relevant Building Surveyor (RBS) to ensure compliance, so feel free to contact us if you have any queries or to obtain a fee proposal.

Did you know solar photovoltaic (PV) is not taken into account as part of an energy rating? Principally because a NatHERS thermal performance assessment considers the building fabric, not whether the energy is generated onsite.

Yes, we're NatHERS accredited!

Graham Energy Principal, Matthew Graham is a proud Design Matters National (DMN) member, formerly the Building Designers Association of Victoria (BDAV), with accreditation number DMN/15/1680. He has also been a long-standing member of the Australian Building Sustainability Association (ABSA) with accreditation number 60724 until the end of March 2021.

This demonstrated high level of experience, competency and accreditation in all four NatHERS software, AccuRate Sustainability, BERS Pro, FirstRate5 and HERO is representative of the dedication this practice affords clients, peers and industry leaders.

Additionally, should your project’s parameters require further refinement, tools such as Graphisoft ArchiCAD (EcoDesigner) can be employed for additional schematic design analysis… remembering that the best energy-saving measures can be made early in the design process.

What about non-Accredited Assessors?

When considering the available options for obtaining an Energy Efficiency Assessment, you may come across non-accredited service providers who may not be professionally trained and not accountable to the quality assurance, professional indemnity insurances and professional development Accredited Assessors are. It’s a case of caveat emptor… let the buyer beware.

In making your decision, it is wise to be aware of and consider the following;

  • Are they fully informed? An accredited Assessor is supported as part of an industry network. They must maintain and advance their knowledge and skills to ensure they have kept pace with changing regulations and practices, thus providing you with correct and quality services.
  • What happens if something goes wrong? An accredited Assessor is required to carry current Professional Indemnity insurance. A non-accredited assessor may not have any cover; thus, you would have little or no recourse if things go awry.
  • Are you getting a true assessment? An accredited Assessor must complete a minimum number of CPD activities every year to remain accredited. A non-accredited assessor may not engage in any continuing professional development; thus, their skill and knowledge levels may be below par.
  • Will you get a NatHERS certificate? Only an accredited Assessor can issue a NatHERS certificate containing the NatHERS logo. A non-accredited certificate contains warnings highlighting that the assessment may have been undertaken without the necessary skills.

Expending our energy today, to save you energy tomorrow.

Fellow assessor looking for help?

In response to a growing number of accredited and non-accredited Thermal Performance Assessors (or Energy Raters) looking for independent technical support, Graham Energy offers a direct help desk solution.

Graham Energy provides timely advice and mentoring on a flexible ad-hoc basis covering technical and modelling support for all NatHERS accredited software.

Being fully accredited in AccuRate, BERS Pro, FirstRate5 and HERO whilst maintaining accreditation with Design Matters National, formerly the Building Designers Association of Victoria (BDAV), Graham Energy offers broad-based and highly acclaimed technical support.

Working closely with the Assessor Accrediting Organisation (AAOs) Graham Energy is well-positioned to deliver continuing professional development (CPD) and training through various Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) including Monash University, Transformed and previously, Chisholm Institute.

It doesn’t matter if you are just after some friendly modelling advice or wrestling to demonstrate minimum regulatory compliance for a challenging project, Graham Energy is here to offer professional guidance to fellow Assessors.

“…There was no question that I needed to seek professional mentorship from an expert in the field, particularly with specialist FirstRate5 knowledge. I engaged Matthew Graham of Graham Energy. In the beginning, there was so much ground to cover. My assessment knowledge was challenged and I soon realised there was so much more to learn! Through Matthew’s patience and persistence, I have learned so much and overcome some challenges that I struggled with even when undertaking my Cert IV. I’m pleased to say that the mentorship has been a well worthwhile path and investment as I passed my second audit at 87%!! A feat I would not have managed without additional guidance from Matthew. Thanks for your patience and assistance in getting me over the line! I look forward to continuing to work with Matthew in on the further improvements my assessments and skills in the future.”
Laura
Thermal Performance Assessor, Melbourne

“As a new assessor with no previous building industry experience, I have found Graham Energy’s subscription and mentoring services invaluable. Their fast response times have enabled me to continuously meet my client’s (volume builder) expected turnaround times. Matthew’s communications and explanations are clear and informative. I can’t recommend highly enough Graham Energy’s services to new assessors looking for guidance after completing their Certificate IV or to more experienced assessors who want to ensure their assessments pass an audit.”

Carolyn
Thermal Performance Assessor, Melbourne
“Matthew is a seasoned industry expert who provides an invaluable technical service for assessors. From helping with queries to reviewing assessments and providing solutions for tricky ratings, he takes the time to ensure issues are properly resolved. It’s great to know he’s there and I can thoroughly recommend.”
Jennifer
Thermal Performance Assessor, Sydney
“As an accredited energy rater I attended a BDAV FirstRate5 assessors workshop conducted by Matthew Graham in May 2015. I found the workshop highly informative with Matthew demonstrating an extensive knowledge of both the FirstRate5 software and associated Technical Notes. The presentation was practical, easy to follow and covered a broad range of technical detail with regard to correct collection, interpretation and input of data. Feedback on a previously submitted study house was constructive, informative and accurate. The content was presented in a relaxed, inclusive and professional manner and I would have no hesitation in attending future training courses conducted by Matthew.”
Colin
Thermal Performance Assessor, Melbourne
“Matthew’s expert mentoring has been invaluable to my business for the past 12 months.  I work alone so don’t have colleagues to help with technical questions, either modelling with FR5 or otherwise.  His responses have been swift, clear and extensive, and he often goes above and beyond to help address the issues.  It’s comforting to know that I have access to his huge range of knowledge when needed.”
Deb
Thermal Performance Assessor, Melbourne
  • @grahamenergy
    54 years ago

Latest News and Information

Keep up-to-date with our latest news and information - more than just a tweet!

  • Farewell, ABSA

    By Matthew Graham | 0 comment

    Matthew Graham has been a long-standing member of the Australian Building Sustainability Association (ABSA) with accreditation number 60724 for over ten years,Read more

  • Design Matters National 2020 Ronald Pickford Award

    By Matthew Graham | 0 comment

    Matthew Graham is honoured to receive the Design Matters National 2020 Ronald Pickford Award for Service Excellence. The Ronald Pickford Award isRead more

  • NatHERS Assessor Network private Facebook group

    By Matthew Graham | 0 comment

    If you are a fellow NatHERS Thermal Performance Assessor, then this private Facebook group is an essential one-stop shop, exclusively for NatHERSRead more

  • A day in the life of a Thermal Performance Assessor

    By Matthew Graham | 0 comment

    What does a day in the life of a thermal performance assessor and trainer look like? Transformed catch up with Thermal PerformanceRead more

  • Australian Residential Energy Rating Conference 2020

    By Matthew Graham | 0 comment

    The second Australian Residential Energy Rating conference will be held in Doltone House, Darling Island, Sydney 12 and 13 May 2020. ARERRead more

  • Bushfires, Red Cross, Zoos Victoria and $100 donation

    By Matthew Graham | 0 comment

    To assist parts of Australia experiencing unprecedented bushfire activity, Graham Energy will donate $50 to Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery andRead more

What do we want?

We're often asked “How do we get started… What documentation do you need?' and our reply is “we need sufficient information to describe the overall building fabric”. To make things a little easier you can refer to the checklists below that outline the information required. Don't worry if the information is missing, the checklist is just a guide only and we’ll work with you to gather any missing information. We look forward to working with you and helping your energy-efficient, thermally comfortable home a reality.

Drawing requirements

Site plan

Showing all boundaries, adjoining properties and fences including heights

North point

Floor plan at each level

Elevations of all external walls

Section(s) with ground levels, floor and ceiling levels, bulkheads and roof levels

Window schedule if available (otherwise indicate on drawings)

All drawings must be to scale and clearly dimensioned

Drawing information

Floor

Floor construction (AAC/concrete slab on ground/suspended slab/timber)
Floor coverings (carpet/tiles/vinyl/none)
Floor insulation if applicable (reflective foil/bulk insulation)

Wall

External wall construction (brick veneer/cavity brick/FC/single brick/weatherboard)
Internal wall construction (brick/metal framed/timber framed)
Wall insulation proposed (reflective foil/bulk insulation)

WIndow

Window construction (aluminium/PVC/timber) and manufacturer if known
Window type (awning/casement/double hung/louvre/sliding)
Window glazing (double/single/reflective/tinted)
Show any proposed internal window coverings
Show any windows protected with external blinds, awnings, shutters or battens
Nominate whether doors/windows are weather-stripped and draught-proof

Roof

Roof construction (concrete/flat framed/metal/tiled)
Roof insulation if applicable
Ceiling insulation (bulk insulation)

Skylight and roof window

Show all skylights/roof lights and nominate if fixed/vented and/or shaded
Specify skylight/roof lights glazing type (single/double)

Ventilation

Show any chimneys and nominate whether sealed or unsealed
Show the location of any exhaust fans and nominate whether sealed or unsealed
Show all vented incandescent/fluorescent down lights
Show any ceiling fans and specify the proposed diameter
Reflected ceiling plan showing all artificial lighting – we can assist if not available

Satisfied Clients, Partners and Associations

We'd like to acknowledge and thank select clients, partners and associations for their ongoing support.

Matthew Graham

Principal
Matthew Graham is Principal of Graham Energy, an award-winning Sustainable Building Specialist and subject matter expert in the Nationwide House Energy Rating S...

Moko

Mascot
Thermally efficient dual coated Samoyed with a smile....

Contact

Please contact us if you have any queries (and don’t forget to leave your contact number just in case we need to introduce ourselves properly).

Address
582 Burwood Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Australia
Telephone
+61 3 9819 5829

    Copyright 2018 Graham Energy
    • About us
    • News/Information
    • Contact us
    Graham Energy