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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
GSAP and ICA DABv1, DABv1.1 April 2023 2 - Commissioning and Tuning, 1 - Green Star Accredited Professional Independent Commissioning Agent, Accredited Professional
Approved Ruling:

Projects may engage a Green Star Accredited Professional (GSAP) and Independent Commissioning Agent (ICA) from the same organization on the condition that:

1. The project team can sufficiently demonstrate that each role is being performed independent of the other.

2. The compliance requirement for both Credit 1.0 Green Star Accredited Professional and Credit 2.4 – Independent commissioning Agent are met.

The below documentation is recommended to demonstrate sufficient independence between the GSAP and ICA:

  • An organizational chart showing all people involved.
  • A role description for each person who contributed to the ICA or GSAP role,
  • The New Zealand Business number (NZBNs) of any independent contractors involved in the commissioning process, and a clear election of two separate people that can be named as ICA and GSAP who were an integral part in the provision of the relevant services,
  • All other documentation requirements as per the Submission Guidelines.

NB: The ICA cannot be from the same firm as the consultants involved in the design or installation of the nominated systems