What gets MEASURED gets done

On 8 December 2020, Minister Gwede Mantashe promulgated, under the National Energy Act, the Regulation for the Mandatory Display and Submission of Energy Performance Certificates. Applicable to privately owned commercial buildings with a net floor area of 2000m2 or more, and buildings owned, operated or occupied by an organ of state with a net floor area of 1000m2 or more, the regulation allowed building owners and accounting officers two years to achieve compliance.

Energy performance certificates (EPCs) are valid for five years and failure to publicly display them is an offence that carries a penalty of up to R5 million, imprisonment of up to five years or both.

EPCs are issued by inspection bodies that have been accredited by the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) in accordance with SANS 1544:2014. The first inspection body received accreditation in November 2021; by December 2022 there were 14 inspection bodies with 29 technical signatories

SANEDI plays an enabling role in the EPC process, in that it is responsible for maintaining the National Building Energy Performance Register that stores the particulars of all valid building energy performance certificates. The register was developed during 2021 and accounting officers and building owners are obliged to submit a certified copy of their energy performance certificate to SANEDI.

During 2022 there was exponential growth in the number of EPCs issued in view of the looming 7 December deadline. 2021 saw only 20 EPCs issued; by the end of 2022 the number had ballooned to 1 085. Of these, 85% were issued to private buildings and 15% to buildings owned and/or occupied by state entities.

On 25 November 2022, Minister Mantashe amended the regulation to extend the deadline for the display and submission of energy performance certificates to 7 December 2025, giving accounting officers and building owners an additional three years to comply.

Getting The Message Out

A highlight of 2022 was the capacity-building and awareness workshops that DMRE conducted across the country in partnership with SANEDI, GIZ and NBi. Over a period of seven months, 480 people learned more about the EPC regulation and its application, as well as the employment opportunities that exist for emerging energy services companies (ESCos) in terms of data collection and analysis.

The EPC roadshow ran from May to December 2022 and reached a variety of institutions in the private and public sectors. Approximately 28% of the attendees were women. Future EPC roadshows will target more women, young people and people with disabilities.

BENEFITS OF EPC s

EPCs are a tool to achieve the goals and targets contained in the National Energy Efficiency Strategy by improving the per-square-metre energy consumption in buildings occupied by the public sector and in lettable or inhabited floor space in the commercial sector.

EPCs do not directly drive energy savings. However, because they are used to monitor and track building energy performance, they promote an energyefficiency culture across the industry. In addition, by using the reliable data from EPCs already issued, building owners can implement energy-efficiency measures that result in energy savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

FIGURE scale that is used to determine and indicate the energy performance of a building consists of seven grades of performance, with A the most energy efficient and G the least. Grade D is the best practice for energy performance in buildings according to SANS 1544:2014.