EDGE in Costa Rica

EDGE is a green building certification system that empowers the Costa Rican real estate market to build sustainably. An innovation of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, EDGE makes it faster, easier and more affordable than ever before to build and brand green. The Green Building Council Costa Rica is the exclusive provider of EDGE certification services in Costa Rica, providing opportunities to increase the marketability of buildings at the design and construction stages.

With a population that recently reached five million people, 75 percent of which reside in urban areas, Costa Rica is growing rapidly. The country prides itself on its commitment to being environmentally friendly. The growing Costa Rican construction market has started to address the challenge of meeting the country’s sustainability commitments by building green.

EDGE certification provides a solution: to capitalize on the value of green buildings by promoting the benefits to customers while protecting the environment. With EDGE, it’s possible to stay at the forefront of the green building trend.

Floor Space
Registered

47,498

m²

Floor Space
Preliminary Certified

53,904

m²

Floor Space
Final Certification

69,756

m²

CO₂ Savings
Certified

918

(tCO₂/year)

Number of
Certified Homes

661

Units

EDGE is an opportunity for governments, builders, banks and buyers, especially in Costa Rica.

Government

In addition to promoting renewable energy, Costa Rica aims to limit its emissions to 9.4 Mton CO₂ by 2030, partly through reducing its energy consumption. Costa Rica’s goal is to be carbon-neutral.

Builders

In 2017, the construction industry proposed building more than 10 million square meters of floor space in Costa Rica. Both large and small developers are avidly creating a green building market.

Banks

Public and private banks, including Banco Promerica, are leading the growth of the green building market through green credits and mortgages for EDGE-certified projects.

Buyers

As more than 25% of Costa Rican territory is under environmental protection, residents are aware of sustainable development. Buyers are eager to reap the benefits of lower utility costs.

Early adopters of EDGE are driving change, encouraging others to think twice before building conventionally.

The promise of green development in Costa Rica is becoming a reality due to pioneers who have incorporated EDGE certification into their approaches to both governing and doing business. On the private sector side, Banco PROMERICA has been a game changer in the transition to resource-efficient buildings, with its offering of both discounted construction financing and green mortgages for EDGE-certified projects. Developers such as Portafolio Inmobiliario (PINMSA) have pledged to certify their entire portfolios with EDGE.

The public sector is also doing its part to support, such as the municipalities of Belén and Moravia, who are proactively campaigning for green buildings. These actions dovetail with the national government’s commitment to fulfill Costa Rica’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Case Studies: Costa Rica’s Progressive Developers Realize the Low Extra Cost of Building Green

Project Name	Type	Size	Energy Solutions	Water Solutions	Extra Cost Per Unit
Sede de EBAIS de La Ribera de Belén	Hospital	702m²	Reduced Window to Wall Ratio, Reflective Paint, Roof Insulation, Natural Ventilation, Variable Refrigerant Volume Cooling System, Energy-Saving Lighting Systems and Solar Photovoltaics	Low-flow Faucets for Bathrooms and Kitchen Sinks, Water-Efficient Single-Flush Toilets, Water-Efficient Urinals and a Rainwater Harvesting System	3.3% Higher with a Payback of 5.7 Years
Tribunales de Justicia de Jicaral	Office	1,159m²	External Shading Devices, Higher Thermal Performance Glass, Variable Refrigerant Volume Cooling System, Energy-Saving Lighting System, Occupancy Sensors, and Solar Photovoltaics	Low-flow Faucets in Bathrooms, Water-Efficient Single-Flush Toilets and Urinals, Water-Efficient Landscaping and a Rainwater Harvesting System	4,042,500 CRC with a Payback of Less than 5 Months
Oficinas Administrativas “The Greenpark”	Office	248m²	External Shading Devices, Roof Insulation, Variable Refrigerant Flow System and an Energy-Saving Lighting System.	Low-flow Faucets, Dual-Flush Toilets and Water-Efficient Urinals in Bathrooms, and Water-Efficient Faucets for Kitchen Sinks	613,000 CRC with a Payback of Less than 3 Months

Find out how affordable it is to certify your project with our premier service providers.

EDGE certification services in Costa Rica are offered by the Green Building Council Costa Rica (GBCCR), GBCI, and Sintali-SGS. Learn more about these providers and view their certification rates to see how they would apply to one of your upcoming projects:

GBCCR fosters cooperation and the participation of citizens and organizations to achieve the social, economic, cultural and environmental development of the community. This is pursued through the recognition of the principles of green construction that channel the market, as well as public and private organizations towards sustainable development.

GBCI is the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally through rating systems such as LEED, WELL, GRESB, SITES, PEER and EDGE.

Sintali and SGS collaborate to deliver the highest quality service for clients around the world by offering a one-stop shop approach for EDGE certification and audit services.

Green Building Council Costa Rica (GBCCR)

The Green Building Council Costa Rica (GBCCR)
San Rafael de Escazú
San José, Costa Rica
+506 2289 3289
Email

GBCI

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
2101 L Street NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20037
+1 202 828 1145
Email

Sintali-SGS

Sintali-SGS
The Sintali-SGS consortium has offices in nearly every country in the world. Get in touch with their global team by email.
+44 203 473 8758
Email

Certification Pricing for Costa Rica:*

Certification pricing for Costa Rica is dependent upon whether you are certifying a residential or non-residential building. Pricing is reliant upon the number of units for residential projects and the number of square meters for non-residential projects. A revised version of the pricing calculator is currently being adjusted. Please contact edge01@gbccr.org to get a certification quote for your project.

^*All costs are reflected in U.S. dollars. Hiring an auditor is required and is in addition to the cost of registration and certification.

Certification Pricing by GBCI:*

Register all the buildings at your site now for one low fee of $300. GBCI offers free online EDGE training in English for up to two project team members for each registered EDGE project.

Registration
Per Project Site: $300

By choosing to work with GBCI you are able to select and contract your own local EDGE Auditor from our list. Competitive pricing and the potential to save on travel costs make EDGE certification even more affordable. Calculate your certification fee for each building based on its floor area (excluding parking).

Certification	Price (per square meter, excluding parking)	Minimum
0-25,000 FLOOR AREA (SQM)	$0.27	$2,250
25,000-50,000 FLOOR AREA (SQM)	$0.22	$6,750
> 50,000 FLOOR AREA (SQM)	—	$11,000 Flat Fee

^*Certification pricing includes both design and construction stages. Note that hiring a local auditor is required and is in addition to the cost of certification. View the contact list of GBCI-trained EDGE Auditors and reach out for a competitive quote. GBCI can also assign an Auditor for your project if you wish. Contact GBCI for custom pricing if you have multiple buildings or any single building that is over 75,000 square meters.

Certification Pricing by Sintali-SGS:*

Register your project with Sintali-SGS for $300. Sintali-SGS provides a complete “one-stop-shop” for EDGE certification, supporting clients from assessment straight through to final certification.

Registration
Per Project Site: $300

The fees below represent the total cost for a standard project, including travel and other ancillary expenses. A discount applies if there is an EDGE Expert on the project team, or for multiple project registrations. Basic assessment support can also be provided by an EDGE Expert Partner at no additional cost.

Project Type	Certification	Design Audit	Final Audit	Total
Residential (single-family housing developments or apartment buildings with up to 100 units and up to three house/apartment types).	$2,400	$4,000	$4,000	$10,400
Commercial (buildings with a single-end use, including hotels, retail, offices, and hospitals).	$2,400	$4,000	$4,000	$10,400

^*For multi-use buildings, residential buildings with more than 100 units and/or more than three unit types, or complex projects with multiple buildings or phases, contact edge@sintali.com for custom pricing.

Certify your project in three easy steps with the EDGE App.

1. Register

Create your project, receive a quote, and send the required payment.

2. Submit

Upload compliance documentation and submit your project.

3. Certify

Win certification to better market your project to customers.

Understand the exact cost of certification in advance.

EDGE green building certification has two stages: design and construction. Each stage mirrors the other, except that a site audit is required at the construction stage. Upon completion of the design stage, a preliminary EDGE certificate is awarded, which enables marketability of your project with the EDGE brand. Upon completion of the construction stage, a final EDGE certificate is awarded. The cost of certification covers both stages. If your project is already built, only the construction stage of certification is required.

The first step towards certification is to create your project within the EDGE App. While it’s possible to calculate a rough estimate from the pricing charts provided, you may wish to receive a quote from one or more of the certification providers, to obtain a precise figure for your project before entering your project details within EDGE. You can also find a local EDGE Expert to help you choose the most cost-effective green options.

For more detailed questions regarding certification, email GBCCR, GBCI, and/or Sintali-SGS.

Get a Quote

Consider hiring an EDGE Expert for your project.

You may wish to hire an EDGE Expert depending on the size and complexity of your project and whether you are new to EDGE. EDGE Experts are trained and accredited professionals who provide advice on green design and help prepare your project’s application for certification. They are your go-to resource for your project team to better understand the EDGE software, standard and certification system.

To find your EDGE Expert today, visit EDGE Experts Around the World.

_{Note that hiring an EDGE Expert is not a requirement of EDGE certification.}

Discover how others are designing and building green with EDGE.

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