EDGE is a green building certification system developed by the International Finance Corporation, which is part of the World Bank. EDGE stands for Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies, and the certification aims to reduce the environmental impact of buildings in three areas: direct energy consumption, water consumption and the energy footprint of construction materials.
EDGE was developed by IFC to address the environmental footprint of the construction sector, with a focus on emerging economies. Buildings are responsible for 19% of the world's energy-related emissions and consume 40% of electricity. Considering that the majority of electrical networks still depend on fossil fuels, electricity consumption has a large environmental impact. The construction sector is expected to double by 2050 and most of the growth will occur in emerging countries.
Reduce your building's energy consumption, water consumption and carbon emissions.
EDGE certification is currently available in 160 countries. As of February 2020, EDGE buildings around the world save more than 388 gigawatt-hours of energy per year and more than 10 million cubic meters of water per year. More than 9.4 million square meters were certified worldwide, avoiding more than 219 thousand tons of carbon emissions per year.
How EDGE certification works
As mentioned previously, EDGE certification seeks to reduce the environmental impact of buildings in three areas: direct energy consumption, water consumption and energy embodied in materials. EDGE has three levels of certification for buildings, depending on how much the environmental impact is reduced. These levels are summarized in the table below:
|
EDGE Certification Level |
Requirements |
|
EDGE Certificate |
20% reduction in energy consumption, water consumption and energy embodied in materials. |
|
Advanced EDGE |
Same as EDGE certificate, with at least a 40% reduction in energy consumption. |
|
Zero Carbon |
Same as EDGE Advanced, and the building must become carbon neutral using 100% renewable energy and carbon offsets. |
To guide the process, the certification system includes a software package and a design standard.
EDGE certification is an attractive option for existing buildings, as any materials installed at least five years ago are considered to have zero embodied energy. This makes it easier to meet one of the three requirements and building owners can focus on energy efficiency and water conservation.
EDGE can be applied more easily than LEED to existing buildings where there are no plans for major renovations. With LEED, only Operations & Maintenance (O+M) certification is available for existing buildings. LEED Building Design & Construction (BD+C) and LEED Interior Design & Construction (ID+C) can only be used in new construction or existing buildings that undergo major renovations.
Like LEED and WELL, EDGE certification also includes two professional accreditations: EDGE Expert and EDGE Auditor. Both are involved in the building certification process, with different functions.
The EDGE Certification Process
EDGE certification is managed globally by two main organizations: Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and the SGS-Thinkstep consortium. Depending on where the project is located, other organizations may be authorized to administer EDGE certification locally. When a building achieves EDGE certification, there are three main parties involved in the process:
- The building owner's design team, which identifies measures to achieve reductions in energy consumption, water consumption and embodied energy. The services of an EDGE Specialist are strongly recommended, but not required.
- An authorized certification body such as GBCI, SGS-Thinkstep or another organization with local approval.
- An EDGE Auditor, who analyzes the proposed measures and acts as a mediator between the project owner and the certification body.
The EDGE Auditor must be a neutral third party, which means the role cannot be assumed by someone who is part of the project team. If a professional engineering company is hired to prepare the project, the EDGE Auditor cannot be part of that company either. In other words, the EDGE Auditor cannot be someone who has a conflict of interest in the project.
EDGE Certification Cost
Regardless of who provides the EDGE, GBCI or SGS-thinkstep Certification, there is an initial registration fee of US$300. The fee is per project site and not per building, meaning a site with multiple buildings does not become more expensive to register.
As far as the certification itself is concerned, the fees are different for GBCI and SGS-thinkstep. GBCI uses costs per square meter, which are summarized in the following table:
|
Building size |
Cost per square meter |
Minimum Rate |
|
0 to 25,000 m2 |
$0.27 |
$2,500 |
|
25,000 to 50,000 m2 |
$0.22 |
$6,750 |
|
More than 50,000 m2 |
Not applicable |
Flat fee of $11,000 |
Note that GBCI also manages LEED and WELL construction certifications.
SGS-thinkstep uses fixed fees that change depending on the characteristics of the project. The following are the “standard rates”, which are based on a residential project with up to 100 units and three housing types, or a commercial project with a single end use:
- Certification: $2,400
- Project audit: US$4,000
- Final audit: US$4,000
- Total: $10,400
The EDGE Auditor fee does not charge a pre-determined fee. Instead, the fee is negotiated directly between the project owner and the auditor.
Conclusion
EDGE is a green building certification with simpler requirements than LEED, but still achieves measurable results. The International Finance Corporation developed EDGE with the needs of developing countries in mind, where more complex certifications can be difficult to manage, especially if a country or region has not developed local expertise.
