# Categories and Credits
# Categories
BESS categories are displayed in the project sidebar and include Indoor Environment Quality, Transport etc. Each category contains a number of credits relevant to the planning scheme objectives and to the type and scale of project.
Category names have changed over time.
The upgrade from BESS-8 to BESS-9 included renaming of Energy to Operational Energy, Waste to Waste & Resource Recovery, and Integrated Water Management to replace the Water and Stormwater categories. Consult the Tool Notes for the categories and category weightings for each BESS Engine.
# Category Profile
Some categories include a category profile.
Category profile information is used in one or more of the credits for that category. Profiling information can determine whether a credit is relevant, or may feed into a BESS built-in calculator.
'Project Profile' includes questions about the overall project. Examples include whether there is a reticulated third pipe (purple pipe) (IWM Project Profile), or what the Energy Supply is for the project (Op Energy Project Profile).
The profiling section may also includes data entry:
- For specific equipment (e.g. Rainwater tank profile, Solar PV systems profile)
- Where there is more than one pathway (e.g. IWM - Stormwater profile, Op Energy - Non-residential DTS profile / Non-residential buildings profile, IEQ - Dwellings DTS profile / Dwellings daylight profile)
- Where the information is needed for a BESS built-in calculator (e.g. IWM - Fixtures, fittings & connection profile, Op Energy - Dwellings profile)
The profiling information you need to enter will depend on the type of project you are assessing, and any pathways chosen within BESS (e.g. DTS versus modelling).
# Credits
Each category contains credits. Credits contribute points toward the category score. Category scores are combined and weighted to calculate the overall BESS score.
Credits may be as simple as a Yes/No question, may require simple numerical input, or may be calculated from the category profile information.
For mixed use developments, credits may apply to the whole project, or to one or more building classes within the project.