12.4 Default Data, Saving & Sharing Projects, Output Files & Feedback
Key Takeaways
- EDGE supplies default data to initiate the base case because users rarely have a complete parameter set at design stage, and outputs become more nuanced as inputs are refined.
- Defaults should be replaced with project values wherever the real value is known, differs from the default, and can be evidenced — because the Auditor checks inputs against drawings and specifications.
- The output document exported from the EDGE software is known as the self-assessment and is what the Project Administrator submits for review.
- The EDGE Auditor is the primary point of contact for technical inquiries, while complaints or grievances about an Auditor go to GBCI.
- IFC invites product and methodology feedback from building professionals by email to the EDGE Team at edge@ifc.org.
12.4 Default Data, Saving & Sharing Projects, Output Files & Feedback
Exam Focus: This section closes out Domain 4.0 by covering sub-topics 4.1.4 "Default data and when to update the data", 4.6 and 4.6.1 "Saving and sharing projects in EDGE / output files from EDGE", and 4.7 "How to provide feedback". These are small sub-topics individually but they appear on the outline and are easy marks.
Default Data: Why It Exists
The Methodology Report explains the reasoning:
Because it is uncommon for a user to have a complete set of building parameters at the design stage, EDGE provides default data to initiate the base case in each type of building. For instance, in a hotel, if the user only knows the total building area, the number of guest rooms and the number of stories, EDGE suggests dimensions for the key functional spaces to help with early design stage decision-making. EDGE provides the user the opportunity to fine-tune the assumptions to achieve a more precise prediction of results.
And more generally: even though prescriptive data is used in these categories by default, the outputs of EDGE become more nuanced as user inputs are updated and refined, making the model responsive and dynamic.
So defaults are a starting point for early design, not a resting place for a certification submission.
When to Update the Default Data
Apply four tests. Update the default when:
- The real value is known. Once the architect has issued a schedule of areas, the App's suggested functional space dimensions should be replaced with the actual ones.
- The default clearly does not reflect the project. A default occupancy density drawn from typical practice may be wrong for a high-density co-working office or a low-density executive floor.
- The parameter materially drives the result. Air-conditioned area percentage, occupancy, operating hours, gross internal area and window-to-wall ratio move the answer far more than marginal inputs.
- You will have to evidence it anyway. Anything the Auditor checks against drawings should be entered as the drawing states, not as the default suggests.
When to leave a default alone
Leave the default where the project genuinely has no better information and the default is a fair representation of local practice — for example a base case specification you are not proposing to change. Inventing a precise-looking number you cannot evidence is worse than an honest default. The audit failure mode here is asymmetric: an unevidenced input gets struck out, and struck-out inputs can drop a category below threshold.
The audit consequence
The Auditor reviews model inputs against the design drawings, engineering specifications and manufacturer datasheets. A model still carrying defaults where the drawings show something different is the single most common cause of a long request-for-information cycle at Design Audit. Reconcile the model to the drawings before submitting, not in response to comments.
Saving and Sharing Projects
The EDGE App is a free, browser-based platform. Projects are saved to the user's account and managed from the Dashboard, from which a project is opened, edited, or submitted via Apply for Certification.
Project team roles map onto access in a way that mirrors the governance structure:
| Role | Function |
|---|---|
| Owner | Holds authority over the property and accepts, or authorises acceptance of, the certification agreement |
| Agent | Granted actual authority by the owner to register the project and accept the certification agreement |
| Project Administrator | Acts as project manager, submits the output document from the EDGE software, and accepts the certification results |
| EDGE Expert | Advises on green design and assists with preparing the application; in many cases also serves as Agent and Project Administrator |
| EDGE Auditor | Reviews documentation and conducts site visits; must be independent of the project team |
Note the specific point that in many cases the EDGE Expert serves as both the Agent and the Project Administrator — a legitimate combination. What is never permitted is combining the Expert role with the Auditor or Certifier role on the same project.
Output Files From EDGE
The document exported from the EDGE software is referred to by GBCI as the self-assessment — the output document that the Project Administrator submits. Alongside it, teams upload the supporting evidence for each subsection of the Design Tab and for each claimed measure in the Energy, Water and Materials tabs.
What the output serves:
- It is the submission artefact for the Design Audit and the Site Audit.
- It is the audit baseline — the itemised base case versus improved case values the Auditor checks each piece of evidence against.
- It is the client deliverable carrying percentage savings, incremental cost, utility savings, payback and projected emissions reductions.
- It is the record that must be retained (Section 14.4).
Because it is all four at once, export the output after the model is reconciled to the drawings. An output file generated mid-iteration and circulated to a client becomes the number the client remembers, and it will not be the number on the certificate.
Where to Direct Questions and Feedback
The routes are distinct and the exam may test which is which.
| Situation | Correct route |
|---|---|
| Technical question on a live project | The EDGE Auditor is the primary point of contact for all technical inquiries. The Auditor may clarify requirements where published guidance does not answer the question — but is prohibited from providing design or consulting services |
| Complaint or grievance about an Auditor | GBCI |
| Questions about the EDGE Exam or becoming an Expert | IFC (edgeexam@ifc.org for exam matters) |
| Product, software or methodology feedback | The EDGE Team at edge@ifc.org |
| Dissatisfaction with the exam experience or an appeal on exam content, registration, scheduling or administration | Prometric, whose Appeals Committee responds in writing within 20 business days |
| Appeal of a certification decision | A formal appeal review through GBCI, for an additional fee |
On feedback specifically, IFC states: to ensure EDGE continues to improve, insights from building professionals around the world are encouraged. For ideas on how to enhance the product, clarify the methodology and reach mass markets, email the EDGE Team at edge@ifc.org. Feedback is an invited part of the system, not a complaint channel.
The boundary to hold in mind is the one around the Auditor. Asking an Auditor "which measure should we choose to reach 20%?" asks them to consult, which they are prohibited from doing. Asking "does this datasheet satisfy the evidence requirement for this measure?" is a legitimate technical inquiry.
Why does the EDGE App populate a project with default data at the outset?
During a Design Audit the Auditor raises many requests for information about inputs that do not match the drawings. What is the most likely underlying cause?
A project team wants advice on which combination of measures would be cheapest to reach the 20% energy threshold. Who may they ask?
An EDGE Expert has a suggestion for improving how the EDGE App handles a particular measure. Where does IFC direct such feedback?