Which tool to use
Use the NGERS calculator if you run a business or industrial facility and want to know whether you may need to report emissions. Use the NatHERS estimator if you own, are building, or are renovating a home and want an indicative energy star band. They are independent — pick the one that fits.
Using the NGERS calculator
Enter a facility's annual energy use for one financial year. You only need to fill the fuels you actually use — leave the rest blank.
- State — sets the grid electricity emission factor (each state's grid is different).
- Diesel, petrol, LPG — enter kilolitres (kL) used per year. Find these on fuel invoices or delivery dockets.
- Natural gas — enter gigajoules (GJ) per year, shown on your gas bill.
- Black coal — enter tonnes (t) per year.
- Grid electricity — enter kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, from your electricity bills.
Press Calculate. Everything is worked out in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
Understanding your NGERS result
The result shows a plain-English verdict and a comparison table. The table lines mean:
- Energy (facility) — your total energy in terajoules (TJ), against the 100 TJ facility threshold.
- Scope 1 + 2 (facility) — your direct plus electricity emissions in tonnes CO₂-e, against 25,000 t.
- Corporate group emissions — the same emissions against the higher 50,000 t group threshold.
- Safeguard covered (scope 1) — your direct emissions against the 100,000 t Safeguard trigger.
Exceeded means you are over that line; Below means under. The headline verdict is the takeaway:
- Below the thresholds — no indicative obligation; reassess each year.
- Approaching the threshold — within ~30% of the line; you may cross it in a future year.
- Facility / corporate-group trigger — you likely need to report under the NGER Act. Confirm your exact obligation with the Clean Energy Regulator or a registered greenhouse and energy auditor — this tool is indicative only.
Using the NatHERS estimator
Answer four questions about the home: its climate, how well insulated it is (roof, walls, floor), its glazing (single, double, or double with shading), and how many living-area windows face north for good winter sun. Press Estimate star band.
Understanding your NatHERS result
You get an indicative thermal star band (0–10 stars) and whether it likely meets the 7-star minimum required for new homes under NCC 2022. New homes must also meet a separate Whole of Home score of 60/100, which covers fixed appliances and energy use. The result also names the single biggest improvement you could make. This is a guide only — an official rating must be done by an accredited NatHERS assessor using approved software.
What the thresholds mean
Three separate numbers matter for NGERS, and crossing one does not mean you cross the others:
- Facility: 25,000 t CO₂-e, or 100 TJ of energy.
- Corporate group: 50,000 t CO₂-e, or 200 TJ of energy.
- Safeguard Mechanism: 100,000 t CO₂-e of covered (scope 1) emissions — the point at which a facility faces a declining emissions baseline.
For homes, the key number is the 7-star thermal minimum plus a Whole of Home 60/100 score for new builds. Full background and sources are on the Learn and References pages.