Where the credit refers to “Schematic Design”, this should read “Preliminary Design” which is the term more commonly used in New Zealand. It is noted that legacy rating tools require “Concept Design” as the required start point to engage with a Green Star Accredited Professional. With this clarification issued, a Green Star Accredited Professional will need to be engaged at the preliminary design stage. This change has been discussed and identified acceptable as it still fulfils the aim of the credit. However, the NZGBC still encourages project teams to involve Green Star Accredited Professionals as early as possible, ideally from the concept design stage, to eliminate risks in pursuing a Green Star rating.

To demonstrate compliance with the credit criteria for the Light Pollution to Neighbouring Bodies and/or Light Pollution to Night Sky, projects using a time clock methodology must ensure that all the relevant building lights are commissioned to ensure that the lights are operating as designed. Evidence of commissioning must be submitted as part of the Green Star assessment. 

For the purposes of the credit criteria Building Commissioning, all building lights, including those installed with a time clock, fall within the definition of 'nominated building systems'. 

Project teams can claim EPDs for the cement that goes into the concrete for the credit of Sustainable Products in Design & As Built and MAT-7 criteria A in v3, if the concrete used cannot be recognised under these credits. For Design & As Built projects, the cost of cement should be entered into the material calculator rather than the cost of concrete. For v3 projects, project teams could choose industry wide EPDs in the material calculator as the means of compliance for the concrete when the cement EPDs are provided. Note project teams cannot claim EPDs of the cement, where the cement had been used on a concrete which also has an EPD and they are claiming the concrete too. Counting EPDs for both the cement and concrete in the assessment is considered double dipping.

If the project team chooses not to include one of the systems listed in the Submission Guidelines, justification is to be provided why it has been excluded. The building envelope/façade does not need to be considered as part of the nominated building systems unless it includes an active component such as automated windows.

What types of poured concrete can be included in calculating the cost for the Life Cycle Impacts - Concrete pathway?

This credit is intended to incentivise better practices in concrete application generally and as such should include all poured concrete types including precast, cast in situ or prestressed. The cost should also include low or non-structural concrete uses such as for pavement (where pavement is poured, as distinct from concrete pavers), footpaths, blinding, kerbs, channels and drains.
For a concrete use to qualify for inclusion in the cost it must meet the other requirements outlined in the submission guidelines, which are as follows:

• The concrete has to be new 
• It cannot be concrete masonry (filled or not)
• It cannot be recycled 

Shower benchmarks for hotel developments in the Potable Water credit have recently undergone internal and external review. The current benchmark for showers is set at 3 Star WELS (9l/m).

At the conclusion of the review, for hotel developments only, the shower benchmarks are changed from 3 Star WELS to 2 Star WELS (12l/m). 

All other benchmarks in the calculator remain unchanged, as does the methodology for populating the calculator. The amended calculator reflecting the changes can be provided by the NZGBC upon request via a free technical question.

This change will be updated in future versions of the Green Star rating tools.

Nominated areas within a conditioned space can be considered naturally ventilated if the mechanical equipment does not draw air from the atmosphere but instead from the nominated area/room to condition temperature. This definition can be applied for the purpose of the Natural Ventilation pathway, in the Provision of Outdoor Air criterion (9.2C in Green Star – Design & As Built and 8.2C in Green Star – Interiors). This includes units such as split systems or variable refrigerant volume (VRV) systems where air is conditioned via recirculation rather than through a supply of outdoor air. 

Nominated areas where air is only supplied via passive means (such as windows) that include equipment mentioned above are classified as ‘naturally ventilated’.

Nominated areas which have both passive ventilation and mechanical equipment with the provision to supply outdoor air are defined as ‘Mixed-Mode Ventilation.’ This includes contiguous spaces separated by doors and/or windows.

Nominated areas within a project with different modes of ventilation that have distinct spatial boundaries are not considered mixed mode and can demonstrate compliance separately.

All compliance requirements remain as per the submission guidelines. 

Provided the Jellyfish Filter is sized to meet the calculated flow rates based on the manufacturers specifications and the configuration required, the treatment device will meet the 90% FREE OIL removal rate (Table 25.2, Column A) based on the construction of the device and the documentation provided.

Rainfall data is available here.

Users (once subscribed) can choose a weather station and then the relevant data set. 

It is acceptable to choose the last 10 years of data to get daily rainfall data for each of the last 10 years, and then to average each day over a ten-year period in order to have a data set that is the average rainfall for each calendar day for the last 10 years.

Standing losses factor (fstanding) and distribution losses factor (fdistribution) of Domestic Hot Water (DHW) systems, as mentioned in the Green Star Energy Consumption and Green House Gas Emissions Calculation Guide, should be determined based on the DWH system design (system type, storage volumes, distribution lengths, design temperatures, level of insulation etc.)  and engineering judgement. 

Manufacturers may have the expected standing losses available. Alternatively, for straightforward typical systems, the following resources may provide a suitable reference:

• AS/NZS 4692.1:2005 Electric water heaters – Energy consumption, performance and general requirements

• AS/NZS 4692.2:2005 Electric water heaters Minimum Energy Performance Standard (MEPS) requirements and energy labelling

• Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Regulator Database