Buyer guide · Queensland

7-star energy rated new homes in the Brisbane region.

Every new house approved in Queensland since 1 May 2024 must reach a minimum 7-star NatHERS energy rating plus a whole-of-home energy use budget under the National Construction Code 2022. Pearson Bros Homes builds to that standard and sells the finished house, so a buyer can inspect a completed 7-star home rather than commissioning a build.

Where can I find 7-star energy rated new homes in the Brisbane region?

That is the practical distinction behind the question. The rating is not a feature one builder offers and another leaves out, so comparing new builds on "7-star" alone tells you very little. The comparison that does matter is whether you can walk through the finished house before you commit money to it.

Pearson Bros homes are finished before they are listed, in Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and the Scenic Rim. The home you inspect is the home you settle on, under a single contract of sale at a fixed price. Homes available now are listed on the properties page.

What is a NatHERS star rating?

It is a measure of the building, not of the household. Two families in identical 7-star houses can use very different amounts of power, because the rating is about the fabric of the home: which way the living areas face, how much insulation sits in the roof and walls, how the windows are sized and shaded, and how well the building is sealed.

Because the rating is calculated for a specific design on a specific lot in a specific climate zone, the same floor plan can rate differently on two different blocks. That is why the rating belongs to the address, not to the brochure.

Under NCC 2022 the star rating is paired with a second test, a whole-of-home energy use budget. That one looks at the fixed equipment rather than the shell, such as heating and cooling, hot water and lighting, along with any onsite solar generation.

Is 7-star mandatory in Queensland?

Sources: Queensland Building and Construction Commission, what's new from 1 May 2024 under NCC 2022, and the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS). The code, the transition dates and the exemptions that apply to particular building classes are set by the National Construction Code and administered in Queensland by the QBCC, not by Pearson Bros Homes.

The consequence for a buyer is that a new house and an established one are not comparable on this measure. Most existing housing stock was built to a lower minimum, or to none at all, so the shell of a house approved under NCC 2022 is doing work an older house never had to do. The two useful questions about any individual home are what its rating documentation actually says, and whether you can see the house before you buy it.

What gives a house its 7-star rating?

The rating is earned in the design and then in the build. These are the levers that do most of the work:

• Orientation. Where the living areas and their windows face on the block, so winter sun reaches inside and high summer sun does not.
• Insulation. Insulation in the ceiling, roof space and external walls, which slows heat moving through the shell in both directions.
• Glazing. Window size and placement, the glass and frame type, and the eaves or shading over the glass that catches the most sun.
• Ceiling fans. Air movement lets a room feel comfortable at a higher thermostat setting, so the air conditioner runs less often.
• Roof colour. A lighter roof absorbs less heat than a dark one, which matters in a South-East Queensland summer.
• Sealing and zoning. Draught sealing around doors, windows and service penetrations, and a plan that lets you close off the parts of the house you are not using.

7 stars is the standard Pearson Bros homes are built to. We do not publish a star figure above that for a particular house, because every rating is design specific and lot specific and belongs on the assessment for that address. If a seller quotes you a number, ask to see the documentation that carries it.

Every Pearson Bros home is built to the NCC 7-star energy standard, carries a seven-year structural warranty under the QBCC Home Warranty Scheme and comes with a 12-month post-handover maintenance period.

How do you check the rating on a finished home?

1. Ask for the energy rating documentation for that address. A NatHERS assessment is prepared for the design as approved, so it names the plan, the lot and the climate zone. Ask the seller or agent for it rather than accepting a verbal figure.
2. Check the rating and the approval date. A house approved on or after 1 May 2024 in Queensland sits under the NCC 2022 minimum of 7 stars. An earlier approval date means an earlier standard applied.
3. Read the whole-of-home items. Look at what was specified for heating and cooling, hot water, lighting and any solar, because that is the second half of the NCC 2022 requirement.
4. Walk the house and look for the physical features. Eaves and shading over the sun-facing glass, ceiling fans in the living areas and bedrooms, insulation visible in the roof space, and the roof colour from the street.
5. Get your own inspection anyway. A building and pest inspection on a completed home is a normal step, and it is your independent look at the house you are about to own.
6. Then settle. On a completed home there is one contract of sale and a standard property settlement, so the house you inspected is the house you get.

If you want the contrast with the alternative in full, see completed home versus off the plan, or the mechanics of the purchase in how to buy a finished home.

Frequently asked questions

General information only. Energy efficiency requirements are set by the National Construction Code and administered in Queensland by the Queensland Building and Construction Commission; transition dates, exemptions and compliance pathways change and depend on the building class, the approval date and the individual design. A star rating describes modelled performance of a specific design on a specific lot, not a guarantee of a household's energy bills. Nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice. Warranty and maintenance periods describe Pearson Bros Homes' new builds, with statutory cover provided under the QBCC Home Warranty Scheme. Confirm the rating and the approval details for any individual property with the seller's documentation and your own building certifier or solicitor before you sign.