EDGE FAQ

As a starting point, we encourage you to visit the EDGE website and create a user profile in the EDGE App. Choose your building type and then input your project details to verify that your project can reach the minimum standard of 20% less energy, 20% less water, and 20% less embodied energy in materials. Then click on “Apply for Certification” button to obtain a precise quotation and register your project.

Our video demos on How to Meet the EDGE Standard, How to Register a Project, and How to Certify a Project will be helpful to you along your journey. Certification providers and pricing information are also available here.

Please note that EDGE 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.

EDGE certifiers serve as third party partners that assess the work of licensed EDGE auditors. EDGE certifiers are selected based on their capability to provide outstanding certification and auditing services at high volume, in addition to building relationships with a wide range of important stakeholders within a given country. Our global certification providers, which have networks throughout the world, are GBCI and Sintali-SGS. In some countries, there are local certifiers which either have exclusive rights to provide their certification services or operate in tandem with the global certifiers.

The first step is to become an EDGE Expert, which requires training as well as taking and passing the EDGE Exam.

Once you have become an EDGE Expert, you can then advance to becoming an EDGE Auditor, if there is demand in your respective country for certification and if the certifier(s) operating in the country where you work are interested in hiring EDGE Auditors. EDGE Auditors are accredited by EDGE certifiers, with different eligibility and training requirements depending on the provider. Please reach out to the certifiers operating in your country for more information.

EDGE Experts encourage the construction sector to design and build green by serving as trusted and experienced advisors. They bring their skills, insights, and thorough understanding of the EDGE software to instill confidence in clients that a project is certifiably green. At the individual level, becoming an EDGE Expert results in greater knowledge, career growth and an opportunity to promote your work. At the firm level, credentialing your team helps to upskill your practice while attracting and retaining fresh talent.

The first step to becoming an EDGE Expert is to complete EDGE Experts training. Training opportunities can be found on the EDGE website. The cost of EDGE Experts training depends on the provider, location and whether it’s online or in-person.

During the training, you’ll learn how to quantify the value of passive and active design elements, how to determine which energy and water-saving systems and solutions are best for a particular location and climate, and how to measure the collective impact of design decisions in the aggregate. In addition to gaining a deeper understanding of the EDGE software, you’ll also learn about the EDGE standard and certification process.

Following the training, you must pass the EDGE Exam, which is available in English, Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Indonesian. The EDGE Exam costs $100 and can be taken either at a Prometric test center or online at a location of your choice.

Once you have become accredited, you can promote your status as an EDGE Expert on your resume, business card, website, and LinkedIn profile and appear on EDGE Experts Around the World.
For greater detail on the process to become an EDGE Expert, please visit our EDGE Exam Prep page.

Instructions to change the project name:

1. Log in to the EDGE account.
2. Kindly click on the project which needs to be edited from your dashboard.
3. Sub-project would be listed at the bottom of the same page.
4. Scroll to the bottom, you can find 3 vertical dots in the sub-project overlay.
5. Click on that. Now you will get a drop-down with a Change project name option.
6. Click ‘rename’, a tab will pop up.
7. Kindly make the necessary changes and save the same.

All project transfer requests are self-service requests. Kindly request the Project Creator to follow the procedure mentioned below to transfer all the required projects to your email id. After successful transfer, you would be the project creator for all the projects and the projects will be removed from Project Creator’s dashboard.

1. Kindly request Project Creator to login to the EDGE application.
2. Open the project that needs to be transferred.
3. Click on the “File” Dropdown near the “Save” button.
4. Select the “Transfer Project(s)” Button from the dropdown.
5. You will be able to see the Transfer project overlay. Kindly enter the email id to whom the project is intended to be transferred. Your project would be transferred to the email entered.

Please follow the below guidelines to change the certification stage.

1. Kindly log in to your EDGE account.
2. Open the “Dashboard”
3. Click on the project to which you want to change the certification stage.
4. Open the project and Navigate to the “Project details” section.
5. There you can find a drop-down to change the certification stage.
6. Click and save the change.

The certification stage of your sub-project would have been successfully saved.

Changing the Login Id of the EDGE App is a simple self-service request. Kindly follow the below steps to change the Login id.

1. Kindly login to your EDGE App.
2. Click on your name on the top right corner and Navigate to the profile section in that.
3. Scroll down and you will be able to see the “MODIFY EMAIL LOGIN” button.
4. Click that button, Fill in the details of the new email id.
5. Now click on the “SAVE AND LOGOFF” button.
6. A success message will indicate the action is completed.

Changing your password on the EDGE App is a simple self-service request. Kindly follow the below steps.

1. Kindly login to your EDGE App.
2. Click on your name on the top right corner and Navigate to the change password section.
3. A window pops up. Enter your old password, new password and confirm password.
4. Now click on the “SAVE” button.
5. A success message will indicate the action is completed.

1. Click on the link “forgot your password?” in login page.
2. A window pops up. Enter your email id.
3. Now click on the “Send” button.
4. An email will be sent to you with password reset instructions.

Deleting the sub-project is a simple self-service request. Kindly follow the below instructions to delete the sub-project from your dashboard.

1. Kindly log in to your EDGE Account.
2. Click on the “Dashboard” button and open your Dashboard.
3. You can find the list of projects that you have created.
4. If you scroll right in the Dashboard. You can find the delete button as the last option.
5. Kindly click on the delete button and confirm the same. Your sub-project would be permanently deleted.

Note: If you have Registered your sub-project, the delete button would be disabled. In this case kindly write to your certifier, asking them to revoke the registration of your sub-project, Once the sub-project is successfully revoked, you can delete the desired sub-project.

Adding Auditor is a simple self-service request. You may do this yourself using your certifier admin login. Please follow the below steps:

• Click “EDGE Experts and Auditors” section from the top right corner dropdown.
• Search for a particular EDGE Expert and click on the email id.
• Click Issue Auditor license on the overlay that appears and follow the prompts.

Once the Auditor license is issued, the new auditor will be listed in the EDGE Auditor tab. You may also revoke the licenses of auditors which are not active currently.

Kindly follow the below guidelines to Reject and send the sub-project to the client.

1. Log in to your EDGE Auditor account.
2. Open My Audit workflow in your dashboard.
3. Select the sub-project you want to reject.
4. Click on the reject button on the sub-project overlay. Refer to the below screenshot.
5. An overlay will get opened.
6. Reject one measure in that sub-project and give the Auditor comments and save the sub-project.
7. Provide Auditor comments in the sub-project level comments section and then reject the sub-project.
8. The sub-project will be sent back to the client, and it will be put in Auditor feedback status.

Prerequisites: Basically, all sub-projects and Master projects that you are trying to merge should be created by you.
Merging your sub-project with the Master Project is a simple self-service request, kindly follow the below steps.

1. Login to your EDGE account.
2. Open your Dashboard.
3. Select all the sub-projects and the Master projects you need to merge.
4. Click on the Merge Button and The Merge overlay will open.
5. Select the Name of the Master Project to which you need to merge these sub-projects.
6. Click OK to confirm your Merge operation.
7. Now you will receive a success message as a pop-up. Congratulations your sub-projects have been successfully merged.

Adding subproject to the registered master project is a simple self-service request. The master project should be created by you.

1. Please create a new project. Click on “Create New” from dropdown “CREATE”.
2. Go to Project Details section and start typing the registered Project name.
3. You will get a suggestion of your project name just below the project name input field. Please select your project name from the suggestion. You will now see that all other fields in the Project gets auto populated.
4. Fill all the mandatory fields in the design page and click on “Calculate and Save” button.
5. Click on Save. Your subproject will be associated with the registered project. Then you can proceed with filling other details and upload documents to send for audit.

Kindly create subprojects by copying the registered project using “Save As” feature. This will help you create associated subprojects that will be Registered.

Please Note: Only Project creator will be able to create a copy. Use Save As feature on the EDGE app to create a copy of the subproject. Please follow the below guidelines.

1. Kindly log in to your EDGE account.
2. Open the “Dashboard”.
3. Click on the subproject which you want to create a copy.
4. Open the subproject and Click on the “File” Dropdown near the “Save” button.
5. Select the “Save As” option from the dropdown.
6. Modify the Subproject name, choose With Documents/ Without Documents.*
7. Go to Project details section. Start typing Project name. There will be a suggestion of your project name.
8. Select the suggested name. You will see that all the other fields in Project details section gets auto populated.
9. Fill the other details in Subproject details section and click on Save button on top right corner.
10. A confirmation box pops up to confirm the project name and subproject name.
11. Click on Save button. Your subproject will be copied and will be associated with master project.

You should be able to see the copied project on your dashboard.

* Please Note: With documents means your subproject will contain the documents uploaded in post-construction stage of the existing subproject, and without documents means your subproject will not contain any documents uploaded earlier.

Instructions to share project:

1. Log in to the EDGE account.
2. Kindly click on the project which needs to be shared from your dashboard.
3. Sub-project would be listed at the bottom of the same page.
4. Scroll to the bottom, you can find 3 vertical dots in the sub-project overlay. Click on that.
5. You will see a drop-down with a share subproject option.
6. Click “Share Subproject”, a tab will pop up.
7. Provide email id of registered EDGE user from your team.
8. Choose any one access type from dropdown.
9. Click on share button.

Your project will be shared with the team member.

Instructions to download project certificate:

1. Log in to the EDGE account.
2. Kindly click on the project from your dashboard.
3. Sub-project would be listed at the bottom of the same page.
4. Scroll to the bottom, you can find 3 vertical dots in the sub-project overlay. Click on that.
5. You will see a drop-down with a download preliminary/ post-construction certificates option.
6. Click on the option and the certificate will be downloaded.

For Countries and/or Cities currently not included in EDGE, users should select the closest city regarding climate. The Project team shall justify the selection by providing climate data for the selected and missing locations to validate/verify the selection. Alternatively, contact edge@ifc.org to confirm the selection.

In V3, the EDGE calculator is integrated into the required measures. Look for the three buttons in the top right corner of the measure, and the calculator option will be available for some of them.

Supporting documentation shall be submitted for each subsection in the Design Tab and the claimed measures in the Energy, Water, and Materials tab. Project teams shall submit additional documentation about the fuels for Zero Carbon certification. For details, please consult the latest version of the EDGE User Guides.

EDGE Zero Carbon certification is awarded to projects that demonstrate zero carbon emissions in operations; it allows project teams to certify their projects as carbon neutral. A minimum of 20 percent savings in water and embodied energy are required, with 40 percent energy savings on-site (EDGE Advanced status) and 100 percent energy emissions neutralized through renewables or carbon offsets.

With EDGE, it’s possible to certify existing buildings and major renovations at the post-construction stage in addition to new buildings.

To qualify for final certification, existing building project details must first be entered into the EDGE App and meet the minimum standard across the three categories of energy, water, and embodied energy in materials. You must also upload compliance documentation as required and engage with an EDGE Certification Provider to Audit and Certify the project. Note that materials in buildings older than five years are considered embodied-energy neutral, to be indicated as “re-use of existing materials” within the EDGE App.

The Mixed-Use typology may be used in projects that include more than one of the typologies defined above when they are all considered either commercial (retail, office, healthcare, or education) or guest accommodation (serviced apartment, hotel, and resort). When using the Mixed Use typology, the project is only issued one certificate for the entire building and may have a stricter base case when computing savings in EDGE.

The project team may apply for Core & Shell Certification. Core &Shell projects are commercial or industrial projects in which the owner is responsible for the building exterior (“shell”) and the core facilities (“core”). However, the tenants construct the interior areas (“fit out”). The owner or developer must certify the entire space they own/develop. Please note that residential projects that do not provide fit-out installations and finishes are NOT considered Core and Shell projects.

A part of a building may apply for EDGE certification. Partial building projects may be either owner-led or tenant-led.

For owner-led certification, the owner must certify all areas within the building that are under the same ownership. An exception to this rule may apply to additions to the existing building that are higher than 10% of the total GIA and larger than 200 m2.

For tenant-led certification, the tenant must certify all areas that are part of their lease agreement. The certification of the tenant area shall expire upon the tenant’s departure from the certified area.
The certification of partial building projects shall:

1. have occupancy requirements;
2. be fully sub-metered (electricity);
3. have an independent user schedule to other tenants’ spaces;
4. have water consumption requirements; and
5. be physically defined by a physical and permanent barrier, e.g. by walls (interior and/or exterior).

For information on how to model partial building certifications EDGE app, please consult the latest version of the user guide.

Data centers shall be modelled using the Mixed Use typology. For detail information, please consult the latest User Guide and Technical Update for Data Centers.

EEM34 – Additional Energy Savings Measures may be used to claim energy savings from strategies and technologies that are not included in the list of EDGE measures. The project shall file a Special Ruling Request (SRR) to edge@ifc.org for approval to claim the savings.

No. The base case does not represent the worst-case scenario of building construction but the business-as-usual (BAU) construction practices for a given typology and geography. The project team shall invest significant efforts to demonstrate documentation substantiating the provided values. If the Project Team does not demonstrate such values, a narrative describing the construction codes, typical building practices and photographic evidence shall be present. In addition, Project Teams may contact edge@ifc.org for additional guidance.

By achieving at least 20% improvements in energy, water, and materials relative to a base case model that represents business-as-usual constructions, standard weather conditions, and usage.

The Gross Interal Area (GIA) is defined in EDGE as per the International Property Measurement Standards, Type 2 (IPMS2) definition of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The GIA is measured from the inside of the external walls. Distances to interior walls are measured on center. Interior elements such as columns and interior walls are not excluded from the area. Balconies and internal parking are included in the GIA.

No, the EDGE app is limited to one fuel for cooking. If more than one fuel is used in the building, the project team shall select the fuel that is primarily used for cooking.

Retail, Office, Healthcare, Industrial typologies may apply as “Core & Shell” projects.

Mandatory measures. These shall be claimed with actual values representative of the actual conditions of the building(s).

The “Materials” section of the EDGE app includes a feature where users can input the embodied carbon for custom materials. This is useful when the pre-set material options don’t match the actual materials used in the project or when the available choices can’t accurately describe the materials.

To use this custom material feature, you need to:

1. Calculate the total weight or volume of the custom material.
2. Enter the material’s embodied carbon value in kilograms of CO2 per square meter (kg CO2/m2) into the designated field in the app. These values may come from EPDs or Publicly available LCA databases.

Once you’ve provided this information, EDGE will automatically calculate the total embodied carbon for that element of your project.

Air gaps larger than 100mm shall not be entered into EDGE.

No, the U-value at the center of the Glass shall be provided.

To group physical buildings into a single subproject, the following criteria must be met:

• Construction occurs in a single phase, or the buildings are fully constructed.
•  A single entity manages and operates the heating, cooling, ventilation, and hot water services.
•  The buildings operate on the same days and have similar operating hours, with less than a three-hour difference.
• The same or similar systems primarily condition them. While tenants may have their cooling systems, the core and shell of the building should include all areas served.
• All users are expected to utilize all the facilities provided regularly.
• Be the same sub-typology (unless spaces can be modelled in another sub-typology.
• They shall have a standard deviation of up to 2 floors or 10% normalized, whichever is higher.
  Buildings being combined shall:
  • Use the EEM01 window to wall ratio detailed calculator.
  • Use the weighted average for the floor-to-floor height and number of floors by area.
  • Add up all the building envelope lengths by orientation
  • Add up all the roof areas into one.

Note 1: Each subproject will receive a single certificate (except homes and apartments).
Note 2: The project team may decide to create separate subprojects even if they meet the conditions above. This is especially relevant when more granularity in the EDGE App is required to better assess the impact of measures.
Note 3: Thermally conditioned basements that have a significantly larger footprint compared to the building tower shall be separated into a different subproject

IFC recognizes that there is a window of opportunity to shape resilient cities of the future, where more than 70 percent of the world’s population will live by 2050. Today’s cities already account for 70 percent of GHG emissions. By creating a green building certification system for emerging economies, IFC addresses climate change while simultaneously helping to boost prosperity through the construction of buildings with improved operational costs.

“EDGE certified” is a term that pertains to a building project that has been granted certification by a provider through a formal process led by a trained auditor. Utilizing the EDGE software for project design is the first step to becoming EDGE certified.

Only building projects can be certified. No building material, supplier, firm or individual can become EDGE certified. Additionally, the term “EDGE certified” cannot be used for a building where the EDGE software was utilized for design purposes but the building was not subsequently awarded certification.

EDGE certification is available in more than 130 emerging market countries that are included within the EDGE software.

Existing buildings and building retrofits may apply for EDGE certification. The same standards apply to existing buildings as for new construction. Materials in existing buildings that are being retained in the building or re-used and are older than five years may be claimed as “re-used.”

Completed projects can be certified as long as they meet the same requirements as are expected of a new building. Simple modifications do not qualify unless a major refurbishment has been undertaken. For example, the addition of rainwater harvesting to the building does not meet EDGE requirements as installation requires a change to dual piping.

EDGE doesn’t use “credits” but instead works on a simple pass/no pass basis without levels of achievement. When compared to a conventional building, your project must achieve at least a 20% reduction in each of the three resource categories to reach the EDGE standard. Depending on the level of ambition, you can design a net zero building.

A certificate at the design stage is preliminary. A building must be reviewed again by a trained EDGE auditor at the post-construction phase and a site audit performed in order to achieve a final EDGE certificate. This is in case any changes have been implemented during the construction process.

EDGE is an independent certification system that currently doesn’t inter-relate with other international rating systems.

By utilizing the EDGE software as a free resource at the design stage, you can quickly and easily evaluate the most ideal systems and solutions that result in 20% or more resource efficiency savings. For commercial buildings, you can also quickly view capital costs and their associated payback times.

Choosing a certification system that is right for your project depends on many factors. If speed, affordability and simplicity are important to you, along with climate-smart data that is specific to the location of your project, EDGE could be the best choice. EDGE is non-competitive in nature, as its intention is to help scale up green building eco-systems in emerging markets. EDGE is one of many certification systems, each having their own purpose and advantage within a given market.

The majority of EDGE certification will occur outside of IFC’s investment program, as the primary intention is to support the rapid escalation of green building growth, through a wide variety of financing options.

The pricing for EDGE certification depends upon the country, and varies according to the number of buildings, the floor area and the type of building.

Certification providers such as green building councils provide EDGE certification by serving as third parties that validate the work of independent, EDGE-trained auditors.

There is a detailed process for green building councils to become EDGE certifying authorities that involves adoption of the software, target-setting and other collaborative engagement. For more information, email edge@ifc.org.

Becoming an EDGE auditor requires completing a training program. For more information, email edge@ifc.org.