The Residential Efficiency Scorecard is Closing - What it Means for Your Green Home Loan
The Residential Efficiency Scorecard — one of the key tools used to qualify for a green home loan on an existing property — is closing on 23 June 2026.
If you've been thinking about refinancing to a green home loan or financing energy efficient upgrades, this change is worth understanding. And with interest rates having risen significantly over the past two years, the timing matters more than ever.
What is the Residential Efficiency Scorecard?
The Scorecard is a government-backed tool that rates the energy performance of existing homes. An accredited assessor visits your home and evaluates things like insulation, heating and cooling, hot water systems and windows. The result is a star rating out of ten, along with tailored recommendations for improvements.
Several banks have used Scorecard certificates to verify that an existing home qualifies for a discounted green home loan rate — particularly for renovation and upgrade scenarios.
What is replacing it?
The Scorecard is being replaced by an expanded version of NatHERS — the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme. Until now, NatHERS has only been available for new homes and major renovations. From mid-2026, it will also be available for existing homes for the first time.
For the first time, there will be a nationally standardised, government-backed energy rating available for the roughly 10 million existing homes across Australia.
The new NatHERS assessment for existing homes is more comprehensive than the Scorecard. A qualified assessor visits your home and evaluates both the thermal performance of the building and the whole-of-home energy use — including fixed appliances, solar generation and battery storage. The result is a NatHERS Home Energy Rating Certificate with a star rating and upgrade recommendations.
What does this mean right now?
There is a short-term gap. The new NatHERS existing homes assessors are only just beginning to be trained and accredited — numbers are currently very low. Stage 2 of the rollout, when accreditation opens to all assessors, is expected from mid-2026.
Until then:
If you need a Scorecard assessment for green loan eligibility, act before 23 June 2026
Expect longer lead times to find a qualified NatHERS existing homes assessor
Lender policies are evolving — which certificates they accept is changing quickly
Why acting now matters more than ever
With the RBA having raised rates significantly since 2022, most Australians are paying considerably more on their mortgage than they were two years ago. The discount available through a green home loan — which can be up to 0.9% off your interest rate — is now worth substantially more in dollar terms than it was when rates were low.
On a $700,000 loan, a 0.7% rate discount saves approximately $4,900 per year. That's money back in your pocket every single year.
If your home already qualifies — or could qualify with minor upgrades — there has never been a better time to explore a green home loan. And if you're planning to use a Scorecard assessment as your pathway to eligibility, the clock is ticking. Assessments will still be available until 23 June 2026, but given how quickly lender policies are changing, the sooner you act the more options you have.
The bigger opportunity ahead
The average existing Australian home has a NatHERS equivalent rating of just 1.7 stars out of 10. As NatHERS expands to cover existing homes, green loan products will become available to a far wider range of properties than ever before — not just new builds.
This is an exciting development for anyone who owns or is planning to buy an older home and wants to make energy efficient upgrades.
What should you do?
The green loan landscape is changing quickly. At Sustainable Home Loans, we stay across the detail so you don't have to — including which certificates each lender currently accepts and how to time your application to get the best result.
Please get in touch if you'd like to understand what this means for your specific situation.