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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
New Peer Review Pathway for Energy Credits DABv1, DABv1.1 March 2025 14 - Thermal Comfort, 15 - Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 16 - Peak Electricity Demand Reduction Reference Building Pathway, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Thermal Comfort, Modelled Performance Pathway: Reference Building, Peak Electricity Demand Reduction, Prescriptive Pathway: On-site Energy Generation, Advanced Thermal Comfort
Approved Ruling:

The NZGBC is introducing a new pathway to achieve credits 14, 15, and 16.

Previously, projects had to either submit a producer statement from an Accredited Energy Modeller (AEM) or a full energy model report, which would then be assessed by NZGBC’s Model Assessment Panel (MAP).

Now, projects can opt for an independent peer review of their energy model by a qualified AEM ahead of submission with the following conditions:

  • The peer reviewer must not be from the same organization as the modeller.
  • The peer reviewer determines the evidence needed to complete the checklist and gain confidence in the model’s quality before signing the peer review statement.
  • The completed checklist and signed statement must be submitted to NZGBC as part of the project’s submission.

Please note that the project is responsible for all costs associated with the peer review. The peer review will be assessed only by the project’s Green Star Assessor, not by a MAP. Additionally, once a peer reviewer is selected, they cannot be replaced unless they withdraw from the process. If they do, a qualified replacement must be appointed, and the change must be documented in the peer review statement.

To access the peer review statement, visit the NZGBC website and go to the Technical Resources page. To find a qualified AEM, use the Find a Professional search function.

If you have any questions about the new process, please reach out to the Green Star team at greenstarnz@nzgbc.org.nz