Self-Assessment in EDGE App
Hello! In this article, we will further discuss in how to conduct a self-assessment with EDGE, efficiently.
Start by registering your email or log if you already have an account in the EDGE App. Select the project type (Homes, Hospitality, Office, etc.) in the left tab. Fill the information with the asterisks so you can proceed to the next step, such as project name, number of distinct building, project owner email, etc. Afterwards, select the country and city where your project is located, and the income category. If your project is built in a city that is not in the list, you can select the nearest available city in the dropdown list. And then, continue with inserting your specific building information data, e.g. floor area of each room, number of apartment units, number of floors, etc. depending on your project type. Leave the key assumptions for the base case blank, or if you want to change the baseline you must provide the related information to support your statement. Once you have done, click next step : Energy
In the energy tab, there are lots of options you can claim by ticking the box. However, Window-to-wall ratio or WWR information must be provided. Therefore, make sure that you have this WWR calculation in the beginning since it will greatly affect the energy savings. The suggested improved case for WWR is 40%. Each energy savings measures have different contribution to the energy saving. To get the biggest energy savings, you can see on the chart on the right side, the percentage of base case energy consumption and analyse the biggest contributors. For example, In South Africa, city of Bloemfontein, Home Appliances and Hot Water consumes the biggest energy / year, with 47 and 37 kWh/m2/year. If we use the solar water heater collectors 100% of the hot water demand, 27% energy savings have already be obtained. On the other hand, if we focus on the small energy contributor, such as Lighting, even though we have changed all lighting fixtures to be LED or other lighting with lm/W > 90, it only saves 0.73% of the total energy savings. Significant right? The total energy savings play a significant role in the EDGE certification level as we know. 20% for EDGE Certified and 40% for EDGE Advanced. So, choose the energy saving strategy wisely or consult with an EDGE Expert, if you need further help.
The second saving measure is Water savings. There are various type of water savings, but these are the most common water saving strategies that implemented in EDGE projects: Low-flow fixtures, dual flush toilets, low-flow urinals, rainwater harvesting system, grey and black water treatment and recycling system. In addition, there are other strategies such as condensate water system, aerators, water-efficient landscaping, but most of cases the minimum water savings (20% compared to baseline) can be achieved through the common aforementioned strategies. To estimate how much the water savings in this self-assessment, you must have the specification sheet (for fixtures, urinals, showerheads, toilet at 3 bar in L/min or L/flush) or coverage area / percentage of the water efficient strategy. In the preliminary / design stage of certification, the flow rate or flush rate should be sufficient, but during the post-construction stage, an EDGE Auditor will actually measure the water flow and input it in the EDGE App. Therefore, the results from spec sheet and actual measurement may vary.
Last but not least, Embodied energy of materials. This measurement is quite different than the energy and water savings. In this materials tab, we typically have six (6) categories : floor & roof slab, external and internal walls, flooring and window frames. In each category there are a series of options you can choose based on the material type you used and input the thickness. For instances, in the external walls we can select brick wall with internal & external plasters, Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Blocks, Aluminium Profile Cladding, etc. Embodied energy of material is greatly influenced based on the material type and the thickness (the more material you use, the more energy supplier use to extract, manufacture, transport, and install the material). Once you reach the minimum of 20% savings, you are good to go.
Now you are more familiar with the EDGE App and If your project does not meet the threshold, then certifying with EDGE might not be the best case. Otherwise, it is time for registration process as well as contacting the EDGE Auditor. Our Consultant is GBCI’s Auditor, Thinkstep-SGS’s EDGE Expert (in the process), and GBC Indonesia EDGE Auditor, so if you decide to go for the EDGE certification, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you!
