sintali-web-logo-black-1sintali-web-logo-black-1sintali-web-logo-black-1sintali-web-logo-black-1
  • About Sintali
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Our Services
    • Our Partners
    • Sustainability
  • EDGE Certification
      • EDGE
      • About EDGE
      • Our Approach
      • Zero Carbon Portfolio
      • Pricing
      • Technical Queries
      • Expedited Reviews
      • Get a Quote
      • EDGE Training
      • EDGE Experts Training
      • Book Training
      • Request Training
      • Resources
      • Case Studies
      • FAQs
      • List of Banks
  • Green Finance
  • Training program
    • EDGE Experts Training
    • Book Training
    • Request Training
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • News
    • Webinars
CONTACT US

Certifier Insights: Tips for your EDGE Assessments

Published by Youssef Safadi on January 19, 2021
Categories
  • Blog
Tags

As the Certification and Training Manager at Sintali, I look at a lot of EDGE assessments every day. And what is interesting is that regardless of where the EDGE assessments come from geographically, there are typically common challenges.

Today, I want to share with you my top tips for filling out your EDGE Assessment that will make things easier and quicker for you to move through the EDGE certification process.

Some of these may seem self-explanatory but you would be surprised how often issues come up. Getting into the habit of checking these items properly during the EDGE Self-Assessment period will help you streamline your workflow and decrease the back and forth between yourself, the auditor and the certifier.

A strong start

There are a few things you need to pay close attention to when starting off a self-assessment.

  • Pick the correct typology right from the beginning because if you need to switch to another typology after you have filled it in, there is no way to copy or save-as the assessment so you will lose your work.
  • Make sure to select the correct location for your project. If your location is not listed, pick a city that is closest to where the project is, or closely resembles that location climatically. Go to the Key Assumptions for Base Case section on the EDGE App and change the monthly average outdoor temperatures to reflect your specific city using data from a reliable online source. You can also change the latitude and the annual rainfall data, if different than the ones listed on the app.
  • Input the subproject name as you (or your end client) would like to see on the EDGE certificate. While we can change names once the certificates have been generated, the process is smoother if you prepare for that at the start of the project.
Things that make a difference

For the EDGE assessment to work, the EDGE App needs as accurate design data as possible in order to model your building as correctly as possible.

  • Fill out the area schedule as close as possible to the design because this affects the savings of your project and can alter your results. For example, if you are working on a hospitality project, you will need to ensure that you input the correct areas for different segments of the hotel such as guest rooms, the reception, and the dining area, as there are different calculation parameters associated with each.
  • Make sure to select and assess all the measures marked with an asterisk on the EDGE App, regardless of whether they contribute to savings. This is important because these measures are required for the energy simulation done on the back end of the software.
Technicalities

All the magic in EDGE happens in the three tabs: Energy, Water and Materials.

  • In the energy tab, make sure to select only one cooling system. If the building has multiple cooling systems, you should select the system with the biggest cooling capacity and then include the other systems within that system. For example, if you have a project with a 200 RT air-cooled chiller, a 50 RT water-cooled chiller and a 48000 BTU/h VRF system, you should select air conditioning with air cooled chiller and add the other systems in the calculations of that measure. This work-around will be a thing of the past in the upcoming version of the EDGE App (v3.0.0) as the cooling/heating systems are all agglomerated into one measure that can model multiple systems at once. For the time being, make sure it’s one system selected.
  • If you are on the EDGE App and are not sure how to assess something, click on the measure to get guidance. You will immediately be able see the base case, which should help guide you. If you need more detail, you can go to the user guide (simply click on the user guide image on the latter screen) for a more comprehensive explanation. If you are trying to see what kind of documentation you need to comply with EDGE, you should look at the Compliance Guidance section. A quick hint for you: if you go to upload documents within a selected measure, the EDGE App has already organised the section according to the  user guide’s Compliance Guidance structure.
  • The list of constructions for the different building elements is quite comprehensive. However, if there isn’t a perfect fit, select a material that closely resembles your material from the Materials Reference Guide. If you’re still unsure, send us an email to confirm.
Calculator frenzy

Getting your calculations right and clearly shown in an audit trail can reduce a lot of back and forth between you and the auditor.

  • Use the built-in calculators in the EDGE App whenever possible. There are some very useful calculators in EDGE, for example that for calculating thermal conductance or U-Values . The calculators are a win-win, as you don’t have to resort to external software to do these calculations and at the same time you can use the auto-populated parameters such as the conductivity.
  • If you have multiple items that need assessment, for example if you have multiple roof types, you will need to use the weighted average method for calculating that parameter (in this example it will be a weighted average U-value). In such cases, you can use an external calculator (such as an Excel spreadsheet) to calculate the weighted average for the U-value. However, to make things a bit easier, you can use the built-in U-value calculator in EDGE to calculate the individual type U-values. Once you have those values, you can then switch to an external calculator to do the weighted average calculation. Easy peasy. This applies of course, to any calculation in EDGE.
The final check

Ready to push the Submit for Audit button? Pause and make sure to check your work (just like you would on your school exams; or not). Once you submit your EDGE Assessment for audit, the project will be locked and you cannot make any more edits, at least until you get feedback from your auditor. Make sure to triple check before submitting for audit, especially details as to whether your project is a new or existing building, subproject name, or quite simply if it is the right building typology.

Enjoy your auditor’s positive feedback!

Share
0
Youssef Safadi
Youssef Safadi
Youssef is an EDGE Certification and Training Manager at Sintali. An engineer by education, Youssef holds two Master of Engineering degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Energy. He has worked for the past 10+ years in the sustainability field working as a green building and energy consultant. His main focus was conducting energy feasibility studies to assess both the technical and economic viability of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy systems alongside helping projects meet their LEED and BREEAM certification goals. Previously an accredited BREEAM AP, LEED AP, USGBC Faculty, and EDGE Auditor, Youssef now holds the Certified Energy Manager (CEM) accreditation from the Association of Energy Engineers; he is, of course also, one of IFC’s accredited EDGE Experts.

Related posts

January 31, 2023

Green Building: A portfolio approach


Read more
December 15, 2022

Sintali brings you a Year in Review


Read more
November 4, 2022

How to make infrastructure projects bankable in Africa


Read more


Recent News

  • ProCredit bank Kosovo – the first institution in Kosovo to achieve EDGE Advanced Certification for its Head Office Building
  • Green Building: A portfolio approach
  • Sintali Co-Founder named one of 2023’s most inspiring female entrepreneurs
  • Sintali brings you a Year in Review
  • Sintali partners with consulting company Zero Energy Building to accelerate the uptake of EDGE in Greece

Blog Archive

  • March 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020

Categories

  • Blog
  • Events
  • Knowledge Hub
  • News
  • Uncategorized
CONTACT US

Sintali Limited
Cardinal Point Park Road
Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
WD3 1RE, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)204 5342514

sales@sintali.com
STAY CONNECTED

Follow us on social media and get updates in real time


JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Stay up to date with the latest from Sintali

© 2022 Sintali Limited
Website design by Create + Deploy
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT ALL
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

CookieDurationDescription
_gat_gtag_UA_176578450_11 minuteNo description
asp_transient_idsessionNo description

SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo