Certificate credit price increase

• New Home credit: $30 ($33  incl. GST) 
• Existing Home credit: $15 ($16.50 incl. GST)
• Alteration and Addition credit: $15 ($16.50 incl. GST)

Sustainability Victoria (SV) is increasing the price of certificate credits for the following reasons:

1. In consultation with FR5 users, SV has developed a work program of software enhancements and upgrades that will increase the speed, accuracy and flexibility of the FR5 software application. The additional revenue generated by increasing certificate credit prices will allow SV to engage the necessary resources to deliver this work program over the coming years.
2. Current prices were originally set in May 2014 and have not been adjusted in three and half years to account for increasing operational costs. The price increase will ensure operating costs are covered and safeguard the long-term financial stability of the FR5 business model.
3. The administrative requirements of the NatHERS Scheme for software providers has increased and SV needs to ensure it is sufficiently resourced to meet these on-going requirements.
4. The NatHERS software accreditation period will commence in May 2018 and SV needs to ensure it has sufficient resources to complete this process in a timely manner. SV needs to successfully meet all accreditation requirements to ensure FR5 remains an accredited NatHERS software tool and this is a resource intensive process

Transition period for price increase

Changes to website's Terms of Use

The following changes have been made to the FR5 website’s Terms of Use and will take immediate effect.

• Clause 4.4: This clause has been revised to introduce a certificate credit that will expire two months after the date of purchase. The new shortened expiry date will apply to certificate credits purchased during the transition period listed above.
• Clause 8.1: This clause has been revised to clarify that SV is not responsible for third party information (e.g. AFRC Custom Windows Library) and the calculated energy load should only be taken as indicative.

The following change has been made to the FR5 website’s Terms of Use and will take effect from 15 November 2017 (8am AEDT).

• Clause 3.8: This clause has been revised to confirm that SV intends for users to download the most recent version of the software.  Therefore, SV will not commit to producing Thermal Performance Certificates from superseded versions of the FR5 software. The clause has been changed as follows:

- Current clause: “FirstRate5 client software. You acknowledge that superseded versions of the FirstRate5 client software (or other client software) may not meet the requirements of the Australian Building Codes Board Protocol and may not create Project Files which are suitable for generating Thermal Performance Certificates. It is your sole responsibility to ensure that you are using a version of the FirstRate5 client software (or other client software) that creates Project Files which are suitable for generating Thermal Performance Certificates.”

- New clause: “FirstRate5 client software. You acknowledge that superseded versions of the FirstRate5 client software (or other client software) may not meet the requirements of the Australian Building Codes Board Protocol and may not create Project Files which are suitable for generating Thermal Performance Certificates. It is your sole responsibility to ensure that you are using a version of the FirstRate5 client software (or other client software) that creates Project Files which are suitable for generating Thermal Performance Certificates. Sustainability Victoria is under no obligation to produce Thermal Performance Certificates from superseded versions of the FirstRate5 client software. Sustainability Victoria may agree or decline to produce Thermal Performance Certificates from superseded versions of the FirstRate5 client software or agree subject to conditions or in limited circumstances, in its absolute discretion.”