Required skills

communication skills to interact with clients from diverse social economic and cultural backgrounds in an ethical manner

decisionmaking and problemsolving skills to make recommendations based on the outputs of software tools

literacy skills to read and interpret a variety of texts including legislation regulations and conduct and ethical standards

numeracy and data analysis skills to

calculate and interpret the full range of outputs of house energy rating software tools

interpret and extract data from building plans and specifications and other documents the outcomes of site inspections and discussions with clients and other building professionals

planning organising and scheduling skills to undertake workrelated tasks such as collecting data required for conducting residential sustainability assessments

research skills to identify and locate documents and information on key matters associated with thermal performance assessments such as climatic zones and thermal properties of building materials

technology skills to

operate computer equipment and peripherals

enter data and use the full functions of house energy rating software tools and other general purpose software packages

timemanagement skills to complete the assessment in a timely costefficient manner

Required knowledge

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

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 fair trading and trade practices

environment protection

occupational licensing

work health and safety

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

NatHERS and Australian Building Codes Board Protocol for House Energy Rating software

properties of materials such as heat transfer coefficients and Uvalue thermal resistance and Rvalue 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 evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package

Overview of assessment

This unit of competency could be assessed by candidates using the regulatory and nonregulatory functions of a house energy rating software tool to assess the thermal performance and other energyrelated features of residential buildings

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

A person should demonstrate the ability to

gather the required building information for assessment

correctly enter this information into a software tool with appropriate functions

conduct assessment of a residential building using a software tool with appropriate functions

identify and analyse the outputs of the assessment

make recommendations to improve the energy performance of residential building

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment of this unit

must be in the context of the work environment

may be conducted in an offsite context provided it is realistic and sufficiently rigorous to cover all aspects of workplace performance including task skills task management skills contingency management skills and job role environment skills

must meet relevant compliance requirements

Resource implications for assessment include

access to residential buildings from which building and other relevant information required for conducting an assessment may be obtained

residential energy assessment software tools with appropriate advanced functions

relevant codes standards and government regulations

building plans and full specifications including hot water heaters space heating and cooling appliances lighting and water using appliances fixtures and fittings for residential buildings to be assessed

computer equipment suitable for using residential energy assessment software tools and generating printed copies of reports

technical reference library with current publications on building design and materials house energy rating schemes residential sustainability building thermal performance for planned buildings Australian climatic zones and manufacturer product information on building products and materials

Method of assessment

Assessment for this unit must verify the practical application of the required skills and knowledge using one or more of the following methods

written andor oral assessment

observed documented andor firsthand testimonial evidence of the candidate using the regulatory and nonregulatory functions of a house energy rating software tool to assess the thermal performance and other energyrelated features of residential buildings

Guidance information for assessment

This unit could be assessed on its own or in combination with other units relevant to the job function

Reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities must be made to assessment processes where required This could include access to modified equipment and other physical resources and the provision of appropriate assessment support

Assessment processes and techniques should as far as is practical take into account the language literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate in relation to the competency being assessed

Need for assessment may include:

Residential building refers to:

Effective communication strategies may include:

Client may include:

Functions of software package may include:

Risks may include:

Information may relate to:

Outputs may include:

Advanced features may include:

Sources of technical advice may include:

Assumptions may include:

Options may include:

Criteria may include:

Results and recommendations may relate to: