In the Crosshairs
Private buildings with 2 000sqm net floor area from selected building classifications must audit their energy usage in order to be issued an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which has to be displayed in the front of the building by 7 December 2025. The same applies to public buildings with more than 1 000sq metres under roof. And it’s not too late. EPC professionals are listed on the SANEDI (SA National Energy Development Institute) website, ready to do the work.
The EPC will be valid for a period of 5 years and building owners must re-issue a new EPC at the end of the 5 year validity period. The evaluation will result in a rating score between A- G, A being the most energy efficient building and G being the least energy efficient building.
Preparation
The first stage involves establishing the current energy usage of the building, the second stage will be to conduct a site audit and the third will involve the evaluation of the Building’s performance and issuance of an EPC.
If the site owner has all the necessary documents available, eg ; architectural plans including any subsequent renovations, has the electricity and fuel bills and any other information pertaining to HVAC installations, glazing, insulation, lighting etc, the job will be cheaper and less time-consuming.
Credentials
On the other hand, if the inspection body is tasked with obtaining architectural drawings from the City, as well as collating the electricity bills and is made to map the building for any energy-guzzling installations, the price and time increases exponentially. Obtaining an EPC is mandatory. Ideally, subsequent EPC’s should demonstrate Energy performance improvement for each building though this is not stipulated in the current regulation.
This initiative is designed for government to start getting an accurate and measurable map of who uses what in the country. Improvements can only be made if the government understands the energy landscape including that of the built environment.
Prospective tenants and purchasers of property are asking about green credentials not only because it’s good for the environment and cost-effective but because all the hard work of implementing these solutions is already underway.
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