by Rujeanne Swanepoel, Remote Metering Solutions
Race To Zero is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from business, cities, regions, investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, und unlocks inclusive sustainable growth. Accounting for 40% of global energy consumption and 33% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) (World Economic Forum, 22 Feb 2021), reducing the carbon emissions associated with buildings is a key part of the decarbonisation challenge.
South Africa is no exception, and the carbon emissions of our local building stock must reduce if South Africa is to achieve its goal of aligning the country to a 2°C scenario.
The importance of this goal is evidenced by the proposed Post-2015 National Energy Efficiency Strategy (NEES) which requires that state-owned buildings reduce specific energy consumption by 50%, and commercial buildings by 37%, by 2030. (Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. 2016 Post-2015 National Energy Efficiency Strategy [Draft].
An insight into the baseline energy efficiency (kWh/m2) of buildings is the starting point to achieving required improvements to building energy efficiency and EPCs will assist in this understanding.
EPCs are an internationally recognised tool to assess and benchmark the energy efficiency of buildings. In most countries EPCs play an important role in providing the ability to map the building stock energy efficiency at a national scale; to monitor the impact of building policies and to support the introduction of new minimum energy efficiency requirements within the regulatory process, and to help enable carbon reporting and target setting in relation to the building sector.
EPCs instigate change by driving measurement and profiling of buildings, which can then prompt improvements, resulting in reduced electricity consumption by buildings, improved energy security and reduced national carbon emissions.
The overall objective of EPCs is to create a comprehensive national register with accurate and reliable building data, to support government initiatives in the areas of energy efficiency monitoring, GHG emissions obligations, carbon tax, etc.
Introducing EPCs allows for improved ability to identify and implement energy efficiency interventions in buildings at a national scale. Ultimately, EPCs should unlock a wider energy efficiency value chain, as building owners look at implementing more efficient systems and work towards compliance and/or an improvement in a building’s EPC rating, whether they are looking at HVAC, lighting, water heating, energy monitoring, sensors or improved appliances and equipment.
Climate change is already a measurable reality and along with other developing countries, South Africa is especially vulnerable to its impacts. South Africa is the world’s 14th largest emitter of greenhouse gases principally due to a heavy reliance on coal as our primary source of energy (Carbon Brief, 2018). The National Climate Change Response White Paper is a comprehensive plan to address both mitigation and adaptation in the short, medium and long term (up to 2050). South Africa’s response to climate change has two objectives:
- Effectively manage inevitable climate change impacts through interventions that build and sustain South Africa’s social, economic and environmental resilience and emergency response capacity.
- Make a fair contribution to the global effort to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that avoids dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system within a timeframe that enables economic, social and environmental development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
The South African government has pledged to peak the country’s greenhouse gas emissions between 2020 and 2025 at respectively 34% and 42% below a business-as-usual trajectory, before remaining on a plateau for approximately a decade and then declining in absolute terms thereafter (UNFCCC, 2011).
Energy Efficiency and Energy and Demand Management flagship programmes are highlighted as a key component of the National Climate Change Response (National Climate Change Response White Paper). A structured programme will be established with appropriate initiatives, incentives and regulation, along with a well-resourced information collection and dissemination process.
Furthermore, during SONA 2021 the president announced the inaugural Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission (PCC). The commission is tasked with advising on South Africa’s climate change response and includes mitigation and adaptation to climate change and its associated impacts. It will, in addition, provide independent monitoring and review of South Africa’s progress in meeting its emissions reduction and adaptation goals.
“The more energy efficient buildings become, the more they will contribute to taking electricity demand off the national grid. This could help to ease load shedding, and by reducing carbon emissions, building owners will be helping our country to meets its international obligations to combat climate change” (Barry Bredenkamp, SANEDI, Businesstech, December 2021).
RMS is a SANAS accredited EPC inspection body – we are helping our clients achieve compliance with the EPC regulations by ensuring that those buildings in their portfolio’s that need EPCs are certified by the December 2022 deadline.
About EPCs
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is an invaluable decision-making tool that helps property owners make sound investment decisions to implement projects that will reduce the energy consumption of buildings and property portfolios. Energy performance certification provides insight into the energy saving potential of a building. As South Africans, we know that utility costs are increasingly a driver of operating costs. Therefore, initiatives that reduce the energy consumption of a building will have a direct impact on operating costs.
EPCs will help to identify those buildings where the greatest potential for energy cost savings exists, and funds can be directed to harvest these opportunities. An EPC shows the energy performance of a building as a rating from A to G, with A being the most efficient and G the least efficient rating.
Click here for more information about EPCs and certification works
About RMS
Established in 2005, Remote Metering Solutions (RMS) is the largest privately-owned South African utilities network manager. We serve more than 2 000 retail, office, and industrial properties as well as numerous local councils and municipalities. RMS removes the complexity of measuring and validating the consumption of electricity, water, or gas regardless of the metering point or device, geographic location, or time interval.
Through the RMS Sustainability Services division, the company can assist its customers to comply with the recently introduced Energy Performance Certification (EPC) standard. An EPC measures the energy performance of a building and gives a rating valid for five years.
RMS manages properties across South Africa and other SADC countries. To date, RMS has assisted its clients to recover more than R5-billion in utilities.
Contact Lisha du Preez, lisha.dupreez@remotemetering.net, www.remotemetering.net
