Zero Carbon Certification is awarded through a two-part process, including 1) a Ready Audit upon completion of construction and 2) a Final Audit after a 12-month performance period. This process allows for early recognition once systems are in place and performance-based verification to ensure that intended outcomes are achieved. Project teams submitting for a single audit should ensure submissions include all documentation required from both the Ready and Final audit documentation sections.
READY AUDIT
Zero Carbon Ready is the first part of the two-step certification process. The Ready Audit is performed by a third-party auditor and takes place following the completion of construction. Documentation regarding both Embodied and Operational Carbon requirements must be submitted. Following this audit, the Zero Carbon Ready designation may be used by project teams to highlight their progress towards Zero Carbon Certification.
OPERATIONAL CARBON DOCUMENTATION
Energy Narrative + Schematic Drawing
A narrative drafted by the energy designers or engineers, including a basic schematic of the energy system, and describing the energy systems, is required and must include:
- Descriptions of how energy reductions will be achieved.
- Energy use of a typical building with comparable climate, size, use and occupancy.
- Summary reports from energy models or calculations to support claimed reductions.
- Project teams using an approved equivalent baseline must also explain the methodology used in the calculation, in addition to specifying the final baseline target and target EUI.
- Building’s anticipated needs and operational issues.
- Energy production design strategies and schematics.
- A description of any (or the lack of) combustion in or connected to the project.
- Description of meter locations and/or electric drawings.
- All subsystems of the energy-using and energy-producing systems, including all areas listed in the Energy Production and Demand Table.
- Lessons learned from design and construction.
- Interior Typology projects: If utilized, supplemental calculations quantifying the tenant-proportionate share of base building loads excluded from energy baseline and performance modeling. If including shared base building loads in the modeling, include air flow measurements or calculations showing a proportionate share of metered energy loads.
Renewable Energy Generation Information
- Contracts proving durable ownership.
- Photographs and schematics.
EMBODIED CARBON DOCUMENTATION
Embodied Carbon Reduction Narrative
- A narrative describing actions taken to reduce project embodied carbon, including primary material reduction strategies and the phase(s) in which the reductions occurred. The narrative must also include an analysis of the principal determinants of the project’s total embodied carbon, at a minimum, quantifying the percent contribution of the 3-5 materials that were the main determinants of the total, and explaining what drove the need for those materials. In addition, if the project was unable to achieve a total embodied carbon below the cap, it must explain what made meeting the cap infeasible.
- List of interior materials selected, comparing their embodied carbon value to the industry baseline. Due to the ever-evolving nature of online tools, the results of any assessments must be exported with a timestamp.
- Biogenic embodied carbon reduction calculations and sustainable sourcing certifications for products with claimed benefits. Biogenic carbon reductions must be counted separately from all other embodied carbon reductions.
Embodied Carbon Data
The input assumptions and results from the selected life cycle assessment tool, showing:
- Primary materials project embodied carbon baseline.
- Primary materials project embodied carbon after reductions.
- Embodied carbon of materials + construction (A1-A5) of primary and interior materials.
- Materials documentation supporting reductions in primary materials claimed in narrative, such as:
- Basis of Design statements.
- LCA hot spot analyses.
- Material specifications.
- Procurement requests or letters.
Carbon Offset Documentation
Documentation of the project’s embodied carbon offset, including either:
- Receipt from an approved carbon offset program as proof of purchase, and/or
- Biogenic embodied carbon reduction calculations and sustainable sourcing certifications for products with claimed benefits. Biogenic carbon reductions must be counted separately from all other embodied carbon reductions.
FINAL AUDIT
The Final Audit is the second and final part of the certification process which takes place following a 12-month performance period with continuous occupancy. This audit includes the submission of documentation pertaining to the Operational Carbon impacts of the performance period. This includes information validating net-zero energy was achieved through the submission of energy consumption, production, and procurement data when applicable. Note that no Embodied Carbon data needs to be submitted at the Final Audit.
After this third-party Final Audit is complete, Zero Carbon Certification is awarded.
OPERATIONAL CARBON DOCUMENTATION
Energy Use Data
A brief narrative (one page) regarding the project’s energy use over the performance period, including:
- Information and calculations confirming that the energy targets were met.
- Lessons learned from building operations.
Twelve months of performance data in one of the following formats is required:
- Copies of utility bills for a continuous 12-month period, beginning with the designated start date of the performance period.
- Billing data spreadsheet from utility as verification that data is for the project.
If utility data is not available, metered data from a private system such as a building management system may be accepted if it also includes:
- A letter from a project engineer or consultant on letterhead verifying that the provided data is correct.
If the project does not have energy bills (due to no connection to a utility or to being sub-metered from a larger-scale utility meter), also include:
- A letter, signed and stamped by the energy or mechanical engineer and cosigned by the project owner, substantiating that this is the case.
Renewable Energy Generation Information
- Provide generation data into Energy Production and Demand Table based on 12 months of performance data.
- Documentation proving system’s production, including documents such as:
- Meter data.
- Utility bills.
- Allocation of energy generated when part of larger system.
Photographs
- Photographs of the energy systems, particularly portions that may be hidden from view at the time of the Ready audit, or if they are not easily visible at completion of construction.
- Photographs of any critical and hidden materials for embodied carbon reductions that are not easily visible at completion of construction.
EMBODIED CARBON DOCUMENTATION
No embodied carbon documentation is required for the Final Audit.
EXCEPTION DOCUMENTATION
Projects that use Exceptions or compliance paths that are not standard for all projects require additional documentation per the below.
Exception Narrative
A narrative describing the project’s need for the Exception, the approach to and implementation of the alternative solution, and compliance with Exception requirements, including calculations when needed.
Metering Data
Metering documentation or data showing compliance with Exception requirements.
Technical Documentation
Legal, financial, or contract documents showing compliance with Exception requirements.
Photographs
Photographs showing compliance with Exception requirements, including images of all components that will be changed from an existing state, or not readily visible by the completion of the performance period.
