Lighting

Lighting systems can be entered into the Lighting section of the Appliances tab, and are required for a NatHERS Whole of Home rating. 

Multi-dwelling projects can have multiple different Lighting systems added (see General WoH appliances) if Lighting power density varies across dwellings.

1 - Regulated Load

Lighting is one of the Regulated Loads that contribute to the NatHERS Whole of Home rating.

2 - Lighting Power Density

In Hero v4.0, the only value required for entry of a Lighting systems is the Lighting Power Density (LPD) in W/m2 as shown in the above image.

This is the overall installed watts of all fixed lighting fixtures in the dwelling divided by the area of the dwelling. 

If unknown, a default value of 5 W/m2 should used as per the NatHERS Technical Guide however specifying the actual lighting power density will generally result in an improved WoH Rating. The 5 W/m2 default value corresponds to the NCC 2022 Housing Provision's maximum allowed LPD for Class 1 buildings (with 3 W/m2 for Class 10a associated buildings, and 4 W/m2 for verandhas and balconies).

In regards to the area and any exclusions, there is currently no specific guidance on what should be accounted for in this calculation from NatHERS however the NCC definition of Lamp power density definition states "the area the lights serve" which might therefore be assumed as the gross-floor area of the Hero dwelling (i.e. conditioned + unconditioned + garages), and excludes plugged in lighting fixtures.

3 - Lighting Results

As per all Appliance categories, the individual results of the Lighting are shown in each section along with the percentage impact of Lighting to the overall Operational Energy, Running-Cost and Operational Emissions of the Project. You can hide this Category Result in the Settings section of the Appliance View.

4 - Lighting Comments

As per all Appliance categories, you can add your own comments, description, recommendations or explanations to the Lighting section to include in your report exports. You can hide this Comments section in the Settings section of the Appliance View.

NCC Artificial Lighting

Users should note there are additional requirements in the NCC beyond the NatHERS WoH Rating that can apply to Artificial Lighting that you should be aware of, please see NCC 2022 Housing Provisions Part 13.7.6 for more details. Clause S42C4 of NCC 2022 Specification 42 House energy rating software states that in addition to the NatHERS WoH Rating, compliance with Part 13.7 applies, which would include the above linked 13.7.6 Artificial Lighting requirements.