A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
Australian climatic zones:
climate data used in thermal performance assessment:
diurnal temperature range
humidity
irradiance
maximum and minimum temperature
solar geometry
wind speed and direction
climatic zones and characteristics
building materials:
constraints on choice of building materials:
availability
compliance with codes, standards and legislation
cost
practicality
size
space
thermal performance properties of common building materials
building thermal performance:
benefits of thermal performance assessment
impact of building design on building thermal performance
impact of building materials on building thermal performance
relationship between building thermal performance and thermal comfort
thermal performance principles:
glazing, shading and insulation for controlling temperature
orientation for heating
thermal mass for storing
ventilation for cooling
thermal performance standards and ratings
ways of improving the thermal performance of residential buildings
commonwealth, state and territory, and local government legislation and regulations impacting on thermal performance assessment relating to:
building and construction
building thermal performance
consumer protection and trade practices
environment protection
occupational licensing
work health and safety (WHS)
energy and power:
terminology:
energy
energy efficiency
energy loads
heating and cooling loads
latent heat
power
primary energy source
units of measurement
uses, cost and environmental impact of energy use in residential buildings
greenhouse gas emissions:
embodied carbon dioxide
relationship between building design, space heating and cooling, water heating, lighting water use, fuel source, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
types of greenhouse gases
ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
life cycle approach in building sustainability assessment
passive energy design:
benefits of passive design
principles of passive design
relationship between passive design, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
residential energy use:
appliances
equipment
external installations
fittings
fixtures
fuel sources
occupant use of building
sources of energy consumption
residential heating and cooling:
appliances
carbon dioxide emissions
energy consumption
energy efficiency measures
methods
types
residential lighting:
carbon dioxide emissions
energy consumption
energy efficiency measures
types
residential water use:
appliances
carbon dioxide emissions
energy consumption
fittings
fixtures
types
water efficiency labelling and standards (WELS)
water efficiency measures and regulations
software tools:
assumptions and limitations inherent in software tools
building and other elements included in an assessment
correct operation of software
criteria for the selection of particular software tools
properties of materials, such as heat transfer coefficients and U-value, thermal resistance and R-value, reflectivity, absorptance, solar heat gain coefficient and emissivity
scope and function of software tools
types of software tools
thermal comfort:
definition of thermal comfort
physical factors that influence thermal comfort
requirement for thermal comfort
role of thermal comfort in building thermal performance assessments.
The following must be present and available to learners during assessment activities:
equipment:
NatHERS software tool
computer equipment suitable for using NatHERS software tool
materials:
relevant codes, standards and government regulations
building documentation for residential buildings to be assessed
technical reference library with current publications on:
Australian climatic zones
building design and materials
house energy rating system (HERS)
building thermal performance for planned buildings
manufacturer product information on building products and materials
NatHERS
relationships with team members and supervisor:
assessment activities are performed on an individual basis under general supervision.
Assessor requirements
As a minimum, assessors must satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) current at the time of assessment.