Edge building standard by USGBC

Edge building standard by USGBC

EDGE is a green building certification system for new residential and commercial buildings that enables design teams and project owners to assess the most cost effective ways to incorporate energy and water saving options into their buildings. As a global certification provider, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) administers EDGE certification in nearly 120 countries around the world and is the exclusive certification provider for all EDGE buildings in India. View the full list of countries where GBCI offers EDGE certification at edge.gbci.org.

An innovation of International Finance Corporation (IFC), EDGE is a fast and easy to use mass market transformation tool. It empowers developers and builders to quickly evaluate and compare estimated costs for design strategies targeting reductions in energy use, water use, and embodied energy in materials. Cost effective strategies integrated into the project design are verified by an EDGE Auditor and certified by GBCI.

The drivers behind EDGE are financial, but the results are environmental—EDGE helps mitigate climate change by encouraging resource-efficient development.

EDGE is comprised of a web-based software application, a universal standard and a certification system:

? The EDGE software application is free at edgebuildings.com. Within minutes, a building designer can determine the optimum combination of design strategies for the best return on investment.

? EDGE creates a new global standard by requiring that a green building achieve a projected minimum reduction of 20% in energy and water usage, and embodied energy in materials as benchmarked against a standard building.

? Certification is offered at a modest cost by GBCI in order to validate project achievements for financial and community stakeholders.