Area adjustment area. Why adjusted MJ/m2 instead of actual MJ/m2.

For the purposes of the PROTOCOL FOR HOUSE ENERGY RATING SOFTWARE, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING CODES BOARD, the thermal performance must be presented in terms of energy loads per m² of conditioned floor area of the building, which must be adjusted for house size.

The adjustment increases the energy load for buildings larger than 200 m² conditioned floor area and reduces the energy load for buildings smaller than 200 m² conditioned floor area. This arbitrary adjustment is a regulatory construct to encourage people to live in smaller houses and has no scientific meaning in terms of thermal performance. In BERS Pro the simulated heating and cooling requirements and the associated star rating are displayed the way they are calculated without any regulatory adjustment being applied. 

The regulatory Area Adjustment factor is multiplied by the total energy requirement to produce the Adjusted Star Rating. It is this Adjusted Star Rating which should be quoted when demonstrating compliance with the BCA 2007.