FR5 Software

FirstRate5® house energy rating software

FirstRate5® is an easy-to-use interactive tool with a graphic user interface that enables designers and thermal performance assessors to generate energy ratings for a home by tracing over floor plans. The software integrates the AccuRate calculation engine to estimate the annual heating and cooling energy and can be used to rate an existing design or as an interactive tool to optimise the design beyond compliance.

Latest news

Upcoming changes to FirstRate5 certificates, credits, and terms of service

by FR5 | Jun 10, 2021

On 12 July 2021, Sustainability Victoria (SV) will be implementing several changes to the FirstRate5 (FR5) certificates, credits, and website’s terms of service. The changes are as follows:

  • Introduction of 12-month replaceable certificates
  • Introduction of a new $30 credit type and conversion of currently held credits to the new credit type
  • Changes to the FR5 website’s Terms of Service​
Should you have questions about the upcoming changes, we welcome you to contact the FR5 help desk by submitting a query through the online contact form or via email - [email protected]. Alternatively, you can refer to training and FAQ document listed below. 

Introduction of 12-month replaceable certificates
 
SV is pleased to announce that 12-month replaceable NatHERS Certificates will be available on the FR5 website from 12 July 2021 (9am).

Certificates issued from 12 July 2021 (9am) will be able to be replaced free of charge within 12-months of the issue date. This new feature will allow FR5 users to update issued certificates at no additional cost to reflect design changes and correct data entry errors.

SV will release training material closer to the official launch date to help users understand how to use the new replaceable certificate functionality.
 
Introduction of a new credit type and conversion of exiting credits

On 12 July 2021 (9am), a new $30 (ex GST) credit type called FR5 Credit will be introduced, and all existing credits held by users will be converted to the new credit type.

From 12 July 2021 (9am) onwards, the new FR5 Credit type will be used to issue all types of NatHERS certificates (i.e. New Home, Existing Home and Alteration & Addition certificates).

Up until 12 July 2021 (7am), users will be able purchase New Home, Existing Home, Alteration & Addition credits on the FR5 website to finalise outstanding jobs. After this time any remaining credits held by users will be converted to the new FR5 Credit type in the following manner.

  • New Home credits will be converted to the new FR5 Credit type at a 1-for-1 basis (i.e. one New Home credit will be converted to one FR5 Credit).
  • Existing Home and Alteration & Addition credits will be converted to the new FR5 Credit type at a 1-for-2 basis (i.e. two Existing Home/Alteration & Addition credits will be converted to one FR5 Credit).

The introduction of $30 (ex GST) FR5 Credits will mean that $15 (ex GST) Existing Home/Alteration & Addition credits will no longer be available on the FR5 website.

Users should note that the introduction of 12-month replaceable certificates will still allow users to generate the two certificates required for an alteration rating for a total cost of $30 (ex GST). To learn more about this and the upcoming changes, view the FAQ document.

Changes to FR5 Website's Terms of Service
 
The introduction of 12-month replaceable certificates and the new FR5 Credit type requires changes to the FR5 website’s Terms of Service (ToS). Under the current ToS, SV is required to give users a minimum 30 days’ notice before updates to the ToS come into effect.

For this reason, the implementation date of 12-month replaceable certificates and the new FR5 Credit type is 12 July 2021 (9am). 

SV has prepared a schedule of amendments explaining the changes to the website’s ToS that will come into effect on 12 July 2021 (9am). In addition to the changes made to introduce 12-month replaceable certificates and the new FR5 Credit type, a number of other minor changes have also been made to improve the ToS.

Users should review the schedule of amendments, as continued use of the FR5 website after 12 July 2021 (9am) will be deemed as acceptance of the updated ToS.

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