EDGE (“Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies”) is a green building certification system for new residential and commercial buildings (hospitals, hotels, offices and retail) that enables design teams and project owners to assess the most cost-effective ways to incorporate energy- and water-saving options into their buildings. GBCI administers EDGE certification in more than 100 countries.
An innovation of the International Finance Corporation, EDGE is poised to jumpstart the mainstreaming of green buildings in a fast, simple and affordable way. EDGE Software calculates operational savings and reduced carbon emissions for your building as measured against a base case. Simply put in your building parameters and accept key assumptions or fine-tune them for greater precision. Then select your solutions for better performance, and watch your savings grow. With the EDGE software, you can design resource-efficient residential or commercial buildings quickly, easily and affordably.
Ready to learn more? Check out the course "Introduction to the EDGE Certification System," now available on Education @USGBC. This overview of the certification system informs participants about the need for EDGE and the benefits it provides. In addition, the course includes a brief demonstration of the EDGE software tool and provides details on how to register and certify an EDGE project with GBCI.