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 download the Technical Question form here
| Clarification Type | Tool Version | Month Released | Credit Name | Sub-credit Name | Tool Category | Amendment/Approved Ruling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | DABv1 | 1/11/2020 | 13 - Indoor Pollutants | Paints, Adhesives, Sealants and Carpets | ||
| General | DABv1 | 1/10/2019 | 20 - Responsible Building Materials | Timber |
NZGBC recognises 'FSC Mix' certification. The full cost (100%) of the 'FSC Mix' certified product may be used to demonstrate compliance |
|
| General | DABv1 | 1/7/2021 | 29 - Innovation | Improving on Green Star Benchmarks | ||
| General | DABv1 | 1/4/2021 | 22 - Construction and Demolition Waste | Construction and Demolition Waste | ||
| General | DABv1 | 1/5/2021 | 0 - General |
For project that applying the built phase rating, an expired product certification will be accepted provided it expired after the date the final design specification was issued. In this instance, the project team is required to provide a dated specifications/drawing (and evidence this was the final issue) showing that the product was specified whilst the eco-label certification was current. |
||
| General | DABv1 | 1/2/2020 | 17 - Sustainable Transport | Active Transport Facilities | ||
| General | DABv1 | 1/11/2020 | 0 - General | |||
| General | DABv1 | 1/6/2022 | 16 - Peak Electricity Demand Reduction | Peak Electricity Demand Reduction |
Accredited Energy Modellers can use a producer statement instead of a full energy modelling report to demonstrate compliance for credit 14 Thermal Comfort,15 Greenhouse Gas Emissions and 16 Peak Electricity Demand Reduction. Note that the associated submission templates and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator will still need to be submitted. |
|
| General | DABv1, DABv1.1 | 1/4/2023 | 26 - Light Pollution | Light Pollution to Neighbouring Bodies | ||
| General | DABv1 | 1/6/2021 | 0 - General |
In order to adopt any guidance/ pathway set up in the Green Star Industrial Guidance released by Green Building Council Australia, projects registered with the Design and As Built tool will need to seek approval from NZGBC via a Technical Question given the differences between the Australian tool and the New Zealand tool.It is accepted to approve a list of pathways and/or guidance in one Technical Question.Note that guidance provided for the Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Materials credits in this document do not apply to New Zealand projects in any case. |