EDGE Certification Roles Quiz

Module 1 - EDGE V3 Technical Online Workshop

• The EDGE Technical Online Workshop covers course orientation, EDGE overview, and EDGE certification roles and processes.
• The workshop includes sections on course orientation, about GBCI, the need for green buildings, defining green buildings, the EDGE program, the applicability of EDGE, EDGE certification roles and processes, certification process, and zero carbon certification.
• A PDF of the module content is available for download.
• The workshop is composed of 10 lessons.
• Students should complete all modules in sequential order.
• Download the PDF at the end of each module.
• Complete and upload the EDGE App Practical Exercise (detailed instructions will follow).
• Pass a final quiz with a score of 80% or higher. You can retake the quiz as many times as needed.
• Submit questions about the workshop to [email protected].
• Headphones are recommended for the best experience.
• The World Bank has two ambitious goals: end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity.
• Climate change could result in more than 100 million additional people living in poverty by 2030.
• The emerging middle class with rising income levels is growing by 90 million per year.
• Energy consumption will grow by 37% by 2035 and 96% of this growth will be in developing countries.
• 1.8 billion people will suffer absolute water scarcity by 2025.
• 2/3 of the population will have water stress conditions by 2025.
• The building construction industry consumes ~40% of natural materials entering the global economy.
• A building's lifecycle energy includes embodied energy and operational energy. For a typical office building, 10-15% is embodied energy.
• Green buildings use materials with low embodied energy. Options include reducing material quantity or finding alternative materials.
• The buildings and construction sector consumes over 34% of the world's total energy.
• The buildings and construction sector is responsible for ~37% of global CO2 emissions.
• The buildings sector's operational energy-related CO2 emissions reached an all-time high of around 10 GtCO2 in 2019, an increase of 2% from the 2020 levels and 5% higher than the pre-pandemic level of 2019.
• Operational energy demand in buildings reached a record high of 135 EJ which is an increase of ~4% from the 2020 period and exceeded the 2019 peak by over 3%.

Green Building Market Drivers

• National and regional policies to address climate change (e.g., Jakarta's green building code, IFC support).
• Rising energy costs (a major concern in developing countries, impacting building owners & asset managers).
• The rise of voluntary green building certification (e.g., EDGE, focused on mass market in developing countries).
• Subsidies for energy efficiency and micro-renewable energy (incentives from governments regarding energy efficiency, support from local banks for renewables).

Defining Green Buildings

• There's no single definition.
• Green buildings incorporate design techniques, technologies, and materials that reduce dependence on fossil fuels and negative environmental impacts.
• The key benefit is reduced energy consumption, potentially lowering dependence on fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas levels.

EDGE Program

• IFC created EDGE to mainstream resource-efficient buildings in emerging markets.
• The EDGE program has a four-pronged strategy including investment and advisory support for banks; EDGE voluntary certification to empower the building industry; green building codes and incentives to raise building regulation bars; and supporting financial services in the market.
• EDGE aims to reach a 20% certification penetration in target markets through local and global certifiers and building professionals.
• Measures from EDGE are related to energy, water and materials used in construction and operation of buildings.
• The EDGE V3 program has expanded to cover more countries than the EDGE V2 version to accommodate the needs of global building projects.
• The EDGE standard includes requirements for minimum energy, water and materials efficiency relative to local benchmarks.
• There are 'Standard', 'Advanced' and 'Zero Carbon' levels of certification.

EDGE Certification System

• The EDGE App is used to handle some certification tasks.
• A project goes through an initial Preliminary Certification then a final EDGE Certificate at project completion. A project with a predicted 40% or more energy savings is recognized as "EDGE Advanced".

Project Types

• EDGE can be applied to a wide range of projects from single homes all through to large industrial and commercial developments.
• For existing buildings /retrofits, criteria remain consistent but documentation may differ based on the project construction age.
• Partial buildings, social housing, and data centers can also be assessed for EDGE standards.

Certification Roles and Responsibilities

• Specific roles (Client, EDGE Experts, Design & Construction Teams, Auditors, Certifiers) are involved and have different responsibilities in a stepwise process.
• The client, project team and/or EDGE Expert handle the preparation of the application.
• The EDGE Auditor verifies and approves the supporting documentation.
• The EDGE Certifier reviews and approves, certifying the project.
• Fees for different stages of the EDGE certification process are possible (e.g., registration, fees, auditor fees).

EDGE Certification Process

• Includes design documentation, auditor review and submission, and a review and certification issuance process.
• There are design audit steps, and post construction or site audit steps.
• Includes a verification process carried out by a third party qualified EDGE auditor.
• Preliminary and final EDGE certificates can reflect higher performance and 'Advanced' status.
• A Zero Carbon (ZC) Certificate for building operations is also possible.
• Important considerations include the validity and duration of Preliminary Certificates.

EDGE Certificates

• EDGE Certificates document the achievements of a building in relation to energy, water, materials savings and reductions, and emissions.

Post-Construction Audit (Site Audit)

• The steps for the Site Audit are similar to the design audit except for the on-site visit and documentation of installed measures (e.g., site photos and receipts) by a pre-approved auditor.
• The different types of buildings that are eligible for EDGE vary by country
• Some building types may be sampled for audit based on their design.

EDGE Software

• The EDGE Software documentation can aid in determining steps in the specific design phase for different structure types.
• The EDGE Software will output a result that helps the user determine what measures to select in order to meet a specific EDGE standard of efficiency in terms of energy, water, and embodied material energy.