Environmentally Sustainable Design Assessment Tools

STEPS and Sustainable Design Scorecard

What is STEPS?

STEPS is a web based tool that measures the environmental impacts for a residential development, relative to the ‘average’ new home. The STEPS tool includes the following categories: energy use, peak demand, water, stormwater and materials. Users are also able to enter other information about sustainable design elements.

STEPS was originally developed by Moreland City Council and has been endorsed by many local governments in Victoria.

To access STEPS, click here

When should STEPS be used?

STEPS can be used for any residential development, including single dwellings, townhouses, multi-unit developments and renovations.

STEPS can be used to prepare a Sustainable Design Assessment for small-to-medium sized applications.

While a STEPS report may be submitted as an appendix to an ESD Management Plan, for large-scale applications a standard higher than STEPS is required.

Please refer to the requirements for large-scale applications for more information.

What is the Sustainable Design Scorecard ?

SDS is an Excel-based tool that measures the performance of non-residential buildings. SDS includes seven categories including energy efficiency, materials, water, waste, and sustainable design innovation.

You can download the Sustainable Design Scorecard from the STEPS website. 

When should the Sustainable Design Scorecard be used?

Use the Sustainable Design Scorecard to rate a proposed or existing:

• commercial  building
• retail building
• industrial building, or
• retail or commercial component of a mixed use building.