GENERAL

Technical Clarification
Alternative approach to EDGE Preliminary certification of freehold developments

Technical Clarification Number 
GEN00-T-EDG-5447

Guidance
2024-06-26

This guidance note is intended for the attention of Clients, EDGE Experts, EDGE Auditors to explain an alternative approach to Preliminary certification of freehold developments. In order to confirm that the alternative approach can be applied, a project specific eligibility should be submitted. This document is issued in draft format to allow for a pilot phase.

The GBCSA Guidance Note_EDGE Preliminary Certification_Freehold 31_05_24 is available for download at the bottom of this page under "Downloads".

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Technical Clarification
Submission Phasing Guidance

Technical Clarification Number 
GEN00-T-EDG-5121

Guidance
2024-10-28 [UPDATE from 2024-02-19]

The GBCSA offers phasing at Preliminary and Post construction stage. Phasing relates to phasing the  projects’ EDGE submission in different stages to align with project programmes and availability of submission documentation. This is typically used at Post construction stage, but can also be made use of at Preliminary stage, if required. The fee details related to submission phasing is included in this document.

Projects that plan to submit their Preliminary or Post construction submissions in phases are required to send a phasing request (per submission phase/all submission phases as applicable) to the GBCSA via Zendesk, detailing the project as originally registered and the relevant phasing details.

All projects that require submission phasing should create a Master project (and subprojects) and  phased subprojects on the EDGE App. The detail should be representative of the project as registered originally (the site wide detail and totals). When a phase is created, the guiding principles should be followed.

It is the responsibility of the Client / EDGE Expert to maintain the project and subprojects on the EDGE App. The total area and unit numbers for the project (as registered) should always align across all the subprojects.

The guiding principle is as follows:

• For each applicable subproject ‘save as’ (including documentation if uploaded) from the original (master) project registered [or the prior phase], ensuring that the new subprojects indicate the applicable phasing in the subproject name (naming example indicated below). Ensure that these are indicated as registered on the EDGE App.
• Phased subprojects that are created and are either not associated with the original project or not registered should be merged with the original project.
• On the EDGE App, the total area / unit numbers for the project must be aligned across the original (master) project and phases. An example is included in the below.

• A request (including a summary of the total development and phases and the details from the EDGE App) should then be submitted via Zendesk to the GBCSA confirming the details related to the project and phase(s) and include the completed and signed Auditor Declaration and Appointment (Annexure 6 in the Certification Agreement).
• Once the phased subproject(s) is accepted by the GBCSA, the Auditor invite can be sent by the GBCSA1.
• The EDGE Expert can then complete the self-assessment and once ready submit the project for Audit.

¹The applicable submission phase must have been approved (and invoiced) by the GBCSA, and paid by the applicant before the GBCSA will confirm the subproject(s) phase on the EDGE App and assign the appointed Auditor.

²The Client / EDGE Expert should confirm that there are no centralised, site wide, shared phased roll out and off-site initiatives; OR

²The Client / EDGE Expert should motivate that centralised, site wide, shared, phased roll out or off-site initiatives can contribute to a project’s EDGE certification across submission phases.

In all cases a Credit Interpretation Request (CIR) must be submitted to initiate a GBCSA ruling on the manner in which compliance will be evaluated. This CIR is in addition to the submission phasing request. The request must confirm, as applicable, that:

• The initiative is/will not be subject to operational uncertainty, e.g. confirming continued and sustainable management and access to the plant.
• The complete (site wide) initiative and how it is/will be apportioned (for current and future phases)  including a timeline on the handover/delivery/installation.
• The initiatives must be completed by the date of practical completion of the phase or project, as above.
• The project and the initiatives must be under the same ownership or a valid contract with/confirmation from a 3rd party/parties provided.
• The initiatives must fully meet the requirements and be documented in strict accordance with the EDGE User Guide.
• Any other related information.

The GBCSA will assess the request to confirm that the initiative can be included and confirm the conditions required to be met to acknowledge alternative yet equivalent compliance.

Note:

Should any of the details change, this must be communicated to the GBCSA ahead of submitting for certification [This includes phased submissions between Preliminary and Post construction stage].

Where any of the initiatives change to the extent that it no longer meets the requirements for all areas / units to achieve the savings indicated, the GBCSA will revoke the prior certifications and cancel all issued certificates/confirmations. Re-submission will then be required, either as a new phase (existing EDGE version, if available) or as a new project (new EDGE version), as applicable at the time and the cost will be determined by the GBCSA.

Fees

Projects that plan to submit only one Preliminary or Post construction submission to GBCSA only pay the Post construction fee once, but projects that submit their Preliminary or Post construction submissions in phases will pay the ‘2.Post construction fee per submission’ every time the project submits a phased Preliminary or Post construction EDGE submission.

For every additional Preliminary or Post construction phased submission, a standard fee applies. The full certification fee covers 1x Preliminary assessment and 1x Post construction assessment for each sub-project associated with a project, assuming they are submitted for assessment at the same time. If subprojects are not submitted at the same time, this is seen as a phased submission and a phasing fee applies. Any subprojects that require submission for assessment after this 1 option per stage has been used, incur the additional Preliminary or Post construction submission phasing fee.

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Technical Clarification
EDGE Expert subcontracting EDGE Auditor

Technical Clarification Number 
GEN00-T-EDG-2591 (UPDATED IFC EDGE Approval Protocol for Auditors https://edgebuildings.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Licensing-Protocol-for-EDGE-Auditors-5.0.pdf) 

Guidance
2023-03-31

To manage conflict of interest, an EDGE Auditor cannot have any other professional or financial interest in the project that they are auditing, EDGE Auditors shall not, therefore, provide audit services on the same project where they are providing other services such as design or consulting. The same company may, however, provide EDGE Audit and EDGE Expert consultancy or other services for a project in the following cases:

a) the EDGE Auditor and the EDGE Expert and/or Certification Provider are separate individuals, and
b) the company clearly defines the EDGE Auditor scope of work and associated fees separately from any other services offered (including EDGE Expert consultancy) for the project on their proposal and contract.

In such cases, the company providing EDGE Audit and other services to the same project must disclose this and any other potential conflicts of interest to the EDGE Certification Provider prior to registering the project. The assignment of the EDGE Auditor is subject to the approval of the EDGE Certification Provider.

Note: For the same project, regardless of the stage, an EDGE Expert cannot work as an EDGE Auditor as this would create a conflict of interest. E.g. the EDGE Expert during the Preliminary stage cannot work as the EDGE Auditor during the Post construction stage. 

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Technical Clarification
Project Study Submission

Technical Clarification Number
GEN00-T-EDG-4322

Guidance
2022-07-14

The project study submission requests have migrated to the EDGE App. Once a project is certified, clients will now have the ability to submit a project study request by clicking the "PROJECT STUDY" button from their dashboard. The attached document (see bottom of the page) has steps listed to submit a project study on the EDGE App. 

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Technical Clarification
General Documentation requirements - Homes Projects Round 1

Technical Clarification Number 
GEN00-T-EDG-3752

Guidance
2022-03-11 UPDATED (2021-06-22)

The following is required as part of the Round 1 submission for both Preliminary and Post-construction, uploaded to the Design section (project/subproject level documentation):

- the completed Request for Information, for the current phase pursuing certification only (this must align with the Unit Number Template, Evidence and EDGE App inputs) [see template at the bottom of this page] under "Downloads".

- the completed Unit Number Template document (one document per sub-project) [see template at the bottom of this page] under "Downloads".

- 2 High Res Images (min 300DPI)

Details/Instructions

General:

- the RFI and Unit Number template are important documents used to generate the EDGE certificates for each unit being certified.

- Unit Number template document needs to be created for each typology/subproject being certified. E.g. a project with 3 typologies/subprojects will require 3 Unit Number template documents.

- the format is very important and must not be changed.

- the naming of the Unit Number template document should include at a minimum the project name/GBCSA project number; typology details; phase and number of units, e.g. 09622EDG_MyProject_Type A_Phase1_36units.xlsx

- the documents must be returned in an editable excel format

Certificate Count:

- the certificate count number sequence must always start from row 2 only, and row 1 will always be the master certificate for all typologies/subprojects being certified. E.g. a typology/subproject with 36 units will always have 11 certificates, including the master certificate counted as 1.

The GBCSA notes that it is the responsibility of the Auditor to review all supporting evidence and inputs, including those in the Design section. The total unit numbers per typology needs to be verified to the Unit Number Template, RFI and EDGE App inputs (subproject multiplier and unit number) and confirmed as part of the Client and Auditor comments.  

This clarification applies to all EDGE Homes projects, irrespective of their date of registration. The Round 1 results will not be issued if any of this information is not provided or not confirmed by the Project Team and EDGE Auditor or if there are discrepancies across the RFI/Unit Number template/EDGE App inputs/supporting evidence.

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Technical Clarification
Retracted by IFC - Remote Audit Policy

Technical Clarification Number 
GEN00-T-EDG-3136

Guidance

2020-05-13

Final EDGE certification audits can now be conducted remotely, according to new guidance that has been agreed upon by EDGE certifiers. The temporary policy, which was developed in response to COVID-19, is effective until further notice.

The new guidance is available at (EDGE Remote Audit Policy During COVID-19). It covers the following:

- Applicability of projects that can be audited remotely.

- Roles and responsibilities for auditors, on-site inspectors, certifiers and clients.

- How to conduct an offline audit or live-stream audit.

- Required elements for on-site evidence collection.

Upon reviewing the guidance, should you have questions about the remote audit process, these can be submitted via Zendesk.

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Technical Clarification
Assessment Timeframes

Technical Clarification Number 
GEN00-T-EDG-2593

Guidance
2019-01-11

The GBCSA confirm that:

- The standard Round 1 Assessment process is 4 weeks (from submission to GBCSA issuing the results). 
- The standard Round 2 Assessment process is 3 weeks (from submission to GBCSA issuing the results).

This clarification applies to all EDGE projects, irrespective of their date of registration.

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Technical Clarification
Eligibility Request to proceed without a Preliminary rating - UPDATED

Technical Clarification Number
GEN00-T-EDG-2725

Guidance
2018-03-13

The GBCSA on occasion will allow, but do not encourage, EDGE projects to target a Post Construction certification only (i.e. without having to complete the Preliminary certification) – this only occurs in special circumstances, when the project is able to submit an Eligibility Request to the GBCSA that details the project’s special circumstances and demonstrates why the project was not able to target a preliminary certification and what the project has implemented to ensure that the Post Construction certification will be achieved.

Please note, the EDGE rating is a Post Construction certification rating tool which combines a design and as built rating into one official certification, and the registration and certification fee is relevant for the official rating, the Post Construction rating. Projects that have been awarded eligibility by the GBCSA to proceed without a Preliminary rating are still required to pay the full registration and certification fee associated with the Post Construction certification rating.

Documentation Requirements:

The Post-Construction Stage documentation should clearly indicate the measures selected within the EDGE APP. The evidence to demonstrate compliance must include the documentation required for both the Design Stage and the Post-Construction Stage as outlined in the User Guide, except where Post-Construction documentation supersedes the Design Stage.

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Technical Clarification
Eligibility Request to proceed without a Preliminary rating

(SUPERSEDED by GEN00-T-EDG-2725)

Technical Clarification Number
GEN00-T-EDG-2221

Guidance
2018-03-13

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Technical Clarification
Typology Rationalization

Technical Clarification Number
GEN00-T-EDG-0063

Guidance
2022-02-02 Updated (2017-03-23)

Typology is defined as one particular design of a residential unit(s) that has all aspects of the design the same or similar for all units, including but not limited to aspects such as:

Area	must be within 10% of each other for each unit
Occupancy	must be the same
Layout	must be similar
Windows	must be similar
Shading	must be similar
Materials	must be similar
Edge measures pursued	must be the same
Percentage of Improvement (excluding multiple typologies)	must be within 10% of each other for each unit type across each category (Energy, Water and Materials)

Exception: If a unit type consists of 5 units or less and the total area of these units represents less than 10% of the project GIA, that unit type does not need to be modeled separately. It can instead be grouped with the most similar unit type. Where the exception is applied, this should be clearly motivated within the rationalization request.

All Typology Rationalisation Ruling Requests are to be sent to the GBCSA Technical Team for rationalisation via this link

To assess typology groupings project teams are required to review the above criteria and provide the GBCSA with the following:

· Layouts indicating unit areas per typology

· EDGE Reports (PDF Downloads) per typology (or subproject where multiple typologies are used in v3)

The project team is requested to also provide a description and justification for the typologies applicable to the project based on the above criteria. The typology rationalization process must be completed before the project is registered with the GBCSA.

If the project team is unsure how to apply the above mentioned principles, please submit a Typology rationalisation ruling request via the Zendesk platform. 

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Downloads: