Product Assessment and Scoring Tool | Knowledge Base

Overview

A scoring tool that evaluates a heat pump water heater product across a defined set of dimensions — energy efficiency, noise, durability, demand flexibility, safety certifications, compliance readiness, and market price competitiveness — and produces a radar chart and per-dimension score with commentary. The output is suitable for internal product evaluation, as structured feedback to a manufacturer client, or as a pre-screening tool before committing to scheme registration.

The scoring dimensions and their weights are maintained by Alastair and can be updated without developer involvement.

User Stories

As an EnergyAE consultant, I want to score a new client’s product before we start a compliance engagement so I can identify weaknesses early and set realistic expectations.
As a manufacturer, I want to see how my product scores against market benchmarks so I can understand where it’s strong and where it needs improvement before entering the AU/NZ market.
As a consultant preparing a product report for a client, I want to export a radar chart and score summary that I can include in a professional deliverable.
As Alastair, I want to update scoring dimensions and weightings as market standards evolve without asking the developer to change code.

Scoring Dimensions

The following dimensions are the initial set. Alastair to confirm, modify, or add dimensions before build. Each dimension is scored 0-10 and has a configurable weight in the overall score.

1. Energy efficiency (weight: high)

COP at standard test conditions (20°C ambient): scored against market range from the 5125.1 database
COP at low ambient (7°C or 5°C): scored against market range
Zone energy factor (if AS/NZS 4234 simulation has been run): scored against minimum threshold
Scoring: 10 = top quartile of market, 5 = market median, 0 = below minimum threshold or no test data

2. Noise level (weight: medium)

Declared sound power level (dB(A))
Scored against a range defined by Alastair (e.g. <48 dB(A) = 10, >58 dB(A) = 0)
Flag if no noise data is available

3. Demand flexibility (weight: medium)

DR-ready: does the product have a timer, controllable load relay, or smart comms interface? (yes/no/partial)
Compatibility with smart home protocols (e.g. Modbus, SG-Ready, Catch Power): yes/no/partial
Scored: 10 = full smart DR capability, 5 = basic timer, 0 = no controllable load

4. Safety certifications (weight: high)

Watermark: certified / in progress / not certified
Electrical safety certificate: yes / no
Refrigerant safety certification (flammable refrigerants): yes / no / not applicable
GEMS registration: registered / not registered
Scored based on completeness of certification set for the target market

5. Scheme compliance readiness (weight: high)

AS/NZS 5125.1 tested: yes / no
AS/NZS 5125.1 Appendix H MEPS passed: yes / no / not tested
SRES STC registered: yes / no
VEU Activity 44 registered: yes / no
ESS HEAB registered: yes / no
Scored based on completeness relative to the target scheme portfolio (sourced from eligibility checker output if available)

6. Durability and warranty (weight: medium)

Warranty period (years): scored against market range (e.g. <5 years = 3, 5 years = 6, 7+ years = 10)
Compressor warranty: standard / extended / none
Anti-corrosion protection (if applicable)

7. Market price competitiveness (weight: low)

Retail price (user-entered)
Price per litre of tank capacity ($)
Scored against market range from the price-performance map data
Flag if no price data is entered

Inputs

Product data is sourced from the product database (preferred) or entered manually. The tool pre-fills all available dimensions from the product record and prompts the user to fill in missing data.

Dimensions where data is missing are scored as 0 with a “No data” flag — the user can choose to exclude zero-scored dimensions from the overall score if the data is genuinely unavailable rather than a product weakness.

Outputs

Radar chart (primary visual)

An 8-axis radar chart showing the score for each dimension. Rendered as:

Filled polygon for the assessed product
Dashed outline polygon for the market median (from the 5125.1 database and platform product data)
Tooltip on each axis showing the raw input value, the score, and the scoring rationale

Score summary table

Dimension	Score (0-10)	Weight	Weighted contribution	Commentary

Overall score is the weighted average across all dimensions with data.

Per-dimension commentary

A brief auto-generated sentence per dimension explaining the score:

“COP at 20°C is 3.8, which is in the 72nd percentile of market products — strong performance.”
“No Watermark certification on record. Required for AU market sale.”
“No demand response capability. Product does not support timer control or smart load management.”

Commentary templates are maintained by Alastair and are configurable without developer involvement.

Export

Radar chart as PNG and SVG
Score summary as PDF (suitable for client deliverable)
Raw score data as Excel/CSV

Scoring Configuration (Admin)

Alastair must be able to update the following without developer involvement:

Dimension names, descriptions, and weights
Scoring thresholds for each dimension (e.g. the COP range that maps to scores 0-10)
Commentary templates for each score band
Market benchmark values used for comparison (or these could be auto-derived from the 5125.1 database)

Out of Scope (v1)

Automated competitive landscape report (showing all competitor products and their scores)
Scoring for commercial HPWH (v1 covers residential only)
Water quality and anode rod assessment
Installation complexity scoring
Integration with scheme administrator product databases for live registration status

Data Model (indicative)

product_assessments
  assessment_id
  product_id (nullable)
  user_id
  created_at
  input_values (JSON: per-dimension input data)
  dimension_scores (JSON: per-dimension score, weight, commentary)
  overall_score
  market_benchmark_snapshot (JSON: benchmark values used at time of assessment)

scoring_config (admin-managed)
  dimension_id
  dimension_name
  weight
  scoring_rules (JSON: thresholds and score mappings)
  commentary_templates (JSON: templates per score band)
  updated_at
  updated_by

Acceptance Criteria

Open Questions

Should the market median benchmark values be derived automatically from the 5125.1 database (dynamic, updates as more products are added), or set manually by Alastair (static, requires update when market shifts)? Dynamic is more accurate but adds complexity; static is simpler to implement and audit.
For the noise scoring: is dB(A) the correct unit and the declared sound power level the correct basis? Alastair to confirm the standard basis for noise comparison in the AU/NZ market.
Should the overall score be shown on the product database card view as a quick indicator? This would be useful for portfolio-level screening but requires the score to be stored and kept current.
Is a commercial HPWH scoring model needed for v1, or truly deferred to v2? Commercial products have different relevant dimensions (e.g. redundancy, COP under partial load, modular capacity).