NORMA calculates three things:

1. The hourly Balance Point Temperature of a building
2. The hours in the day when cooling energy will have to be supplied, if any, and
3. The Cooling Load of the building, if any.

It is the designer's objective to minimise the overheating hours, and thus, reduce the Cooling Load.

Using NORMA, the effect on the Balance Point Temperature of changing such design elements as wall thickness, insulation type, size and orientation of openings, shading devices, etc. can readily be determined.