Energy Performance Certificate

by Angela Rivers | Nov 17, 2022 | News

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) will require commercial property owners (who fit certain criteria, see below) to display their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) by 7 December 2022.

SAPOA has launched an urgent application to postpone the implementation date and is asking for a 3-year extension while the department streamlines its processes. JPOMA will continue to watch their progress and keep members updated.

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Non-residential buildings in South Africa will be required to submit and display an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or risk a R5 million fine, five years in prison, or both. The new requirement will make it compulsory for non-residential buildings in South Africa to declare their energy consumption by displaying the EPC at the entrance of their buildings.

The regulations were gazetted on 8 December 2020 and will apply on 7 December 2022, meaning that building owners who have not yet acted, have less than a month left to comply.

The certification aims at making buildings in South Africa more energy efficient while reducing the strain on the national electrical grid and helping the country meet its emissions commitments in the future.

The requirement applies to offices, entertainment facilities, educational institution buildings, and places of public assembly such as indoor sporting facilities and community centres.

It is important to note that the new legislation does not apply to factories and manufacturing plants.

The application criteria of an EPC are as follows:
• Buildings have to be more than two years old.
• Buildings with a net floor area of over 1000m2 for government buildings and 2000m2 for privately owned buildings must follow the certification requirement. The calculations exclude garages, car parks, and storage areas.
• An accredited body must issue the EPC under SANS 1544:2014.
Process of obtaining an EPC
• Gather the relevant information – such as annual electricity consumption, the net floor area, information on any sites to be excluded, and vacancy rates.
• Contract a South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) accredited inspection body (IB) to audit the information.
• The IB will, in turn, submit the energy performance value to the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), which inputs it into the National Building Energy Performance Register.
• From there, a unique number is generated for the EPC and sent back to the IB, which issues the EPC to the owner so that it can be displayed at the entrance of the building.

Devaksha Maharaj (Pr.Eng; CEM; CMVP; CEA; GreenStar AP) is Managing Director of Ikigai Engineering, a management consulting firm with a focus on energy and water resources. She previously presented at one of JPOMA’s webinars and will be able to assist JPOMA members with their certification.

Ikigai Engineering
Email: devaksha@ikigaiengineering.co.za
Website: www.ikigaiengineering.co.za