The Scorecard has closed: what Scorecard assessors do next

If you're one of the assessors who built a practice on the Residential Efficiency Scorecard, the decision in front of you right now isn't hypothetical — the program is actually closed, and whatever you do next, you're doing it soon. Raelene and Viv are asking the same question this week: what carries over, what doesn't, and what's the fastest legitimate path back to doing paid assessment work.

Here's where things actually stand.

What happened, and when

The Residential Efficiency Scorecard ran from 2017, administered nationally by the Victorian Government on behalf of all Australian governments since 2021. Scorecard accreditation closed to new applicants on 30 April 2026 (the final training webinars ran back in February), and the program itself closed permanently on 23 June 2026. Home Energy Rating for existing homes — the NatHERS existing-homes pathway — is, in the scheme's own words, effectively its national successor.

What actually carries over

This is the part worth knowing before you assume you're starting from zero: Scorecard accreditation was never a standalone qualification invented for one program. It was built on real, nationally recognised CPP training package units — things like CPPHES4005 (assess household energy use and efficiency improvements), CPPHES4007 (assess thermal performance of existing residential buildings), and CPPCOM4001 (manage own work, professional development and ethical behaviour). Several of those units sit inside the same CPP41126 Certificate IV that underpins NatHERS accreditation generally — which is exactly why the transition is a streamlined top-up rather than a full retrain: you're not relearning how to assess thermal performance, you're completing the specific units and software competency NatHERS existing homes requires on top of what you already hold.

Where to accredit, and what it costs right now

Existing-homes accreditation now runs through a single door: Design Matters National (DMN) is the exclusive accrediting organisation for the existing-homes stream, effective April 2026, and is the one assessing new existing-homes applications and overseeing assessor performance. For a transitioning Scorecard assessor, that's your point of application — not whichever AAO you may have dealt with previously.

The timing on cost is genuinely favourable: accreditation fees are fully subsidised for currently accredited existing-homes assessors and industry transition trainees until at least 30 June 2027. That window is specifically built for exactly this transition — it's worth acting inside it rather than waiting.

The actual steps to make the switch

In practice, the path looks like this: confirm your existing units against the streamlined transition pathway through DMN; complete whichever additional CPP units and the NatHERS existing-homes assessment unit you don't already hold; complete approved software training on one of the accredited tools (AccuRate, FirstRate5, HERO or BersPro); then apply for existing-homes accreditation through DMN while the subsidised fee window is open. None of this requires redoing the parts of your Scorecard training that already map to real CPP competencies — the streamlining is the point.

Our take

The closure itself isn't the story — Scorecard's national successor was always going to arrive eventually. The story is the window: a genuinely streamlined pathway that respects the competency you already hold, plus fees fully subsidised until at least mid-2027. That combination won't stay this favourable indefinitely, which is exactly why this is a decide-now rather than a decide-eventually question.

Frequently asked questions

When exactly did the Residential Efficiency Scorecard close?

Accreditation closed to new applicants on 30 April 2026, and the program itself closed permanently on 23 June 2026. Source: Transformed.

Does my Scorecard accreditation count for anything now?

Yes — Scorecard accreditation was built on real CPP training package units (including CPPHES4005 and CPPHES4007), several of which sit inside the same qualification framework as NatHERS accreditation, which is why the transition pathway is streamlined rather than a full restart. Source: Transformed.

Which organisation do I accredit through for existing homes now?

Design Matters National (DMN), the exclusive accrediting organisation for the existing-homes stream from April 2026. Source: The Fifth Estate.

Are accreditation fees actually subsidised for former Scorecard assessors?

Yes — fully subsidised for currently accredited existing-homes assessors and industry transition trainees until at least 30 June 2027. Source: Transformed.

What software will I need to learn for NatHERS existing homes?

An accredited rating tool such as AccuRate, FirstRate5, HERO or BersPro — the same tools required across the NatHERS existing-homes stream generally. Source: Transformed.

Transition to existing homes with MyCool Home

Once you're accredited for existing homes, MyCool Home routes homeowner demand straight to you — no separate lead-generation problem to solve on top of the transition itself. Apply as an assessor partner.