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 Green Star Technical Clarification Rulings

Technical Clarifications for Green Star represent our answers to Technical Questions submitted by projects, and provide further guidance and reference to others. The list is regularly updated.  

There are two types of Technical Clarifications listed in the table below:

General Clarifications

These are extensions to the guidance provided in the Submission Guidelines. They clarify and sometimes supersede the original Credit Criteria or 
Compliance Requirements. General Clarifications set precedent for future project teams to follow. Should a project team wish to apply a general clarification to its project, there is no requirement for further Technical Questions to be submitted. NZGBC Assessors will also use them as precedents to assess submissions.

Project Specific Clarifications

These are published as references for other projects but, unlike General Clarifications, they do not set precedent. They often relate to special 
situations where multiple prerequisites exist for a particular project and are less likely to reoccur to another project. Therefore, rulings set for Project Specific Clarifications are often conditional and will likely vary for other projects. Each project still needs to submit its own Technical Questions and provides evidence relating to its own building in order to have a similar ruling approved for that specific building. 

Should you wish to apply any Technical Clarification for legacy rating tools to your projects, please submit a Technical Question to the NZGBC to 
explain why and how it applies. You can access the online Technical Question form here

Technical Question Title Tool Version Date Released Credit Name Sub-credit Name TC Link
Highest Level of Filtration in FCU is G2 DABv1, DABv1.1 December 2022 9 - Indoor Air Quality Ventilation System Attributes
Approved Ruling:

Where the highest level of filtration possible in the FCU is G2, i.e. in smaller FCUs, and only access downstream of the heating/cooling coils is possible then:

  • Adequate access must be provided to the FCU for filter cleaning/maintenance/replacement.
  • Adequate access must be provided to the downstream side of the heating/cooling coils in the FCU for cleaning/maintenance.
  • Adequate access is considered as that presented in item B on the bottom of page 116 of the Submission Guidelines, ensuring that access to the filter is also adequate.
  • Outdoor air must be supplied to the FCU via an air handling unit (AHU).
  • AHU must have minimum levels of filtrations of: Panel filter = G4 + Deep Bag = F7 (ePM1 50%). An additional panel filter is recommended to extend the clean performance of the bag filter.
  • Adequate access to both sides of the AHU coils for cleaning/maintenance must be achieved.
  • The building owner commits to a maintenance schedule that includes regular filter and coil inspections/cleans as necessary.  The regularity of maintenance should be based on the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Project teams wishing to use this approach should include evidence of the following in their submission:

  • Why filtration no higher than G2 is possible at the FCU.
  • Accessibility at the FCU is adequate for both filter maintenance/replacement and coil inspection/cleaning.
  • A maintenance plan clearly showing the requirements for filter and coil maintenance have been met.
  • A commitment from the building owner for implementing the maintenance plan as proposed.