Page 42 - Energize September 2021 HR

TECHNICAL

Data-based energy performance

certificates now mandatory for

certain buildings

Energize staffwriter

Notice 700 of 2020, issued by the government’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE)
under the National Energy Act of 1988, makes the obtaining of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), n
mandatory for private sector, non-residential buildings with a total net floor area of over 2000 m , and
2
government buildings of over 1000 m .
2

he certificates must be displayed at
the building’s main entrance and must
Tbe registered with the South African
National Energy Development Institute
(SANEDI). With the law now in effect, building
owners are required to obtain an EPC within
two years.The content and issue of EPCs
are covered by SANS 1544: 2014 Energy
performance certificates for buildings.
Buildings account for approximately
40% of energy consumption in South
Africa. EPCs are a standard tool used in
many countries to assess and identify
opportunities for energy efficiency
improvements in facilities. EPCs were
introduced to support the attainment of
energy efficiency targets by informing the
building sector about energy efficiency in
buildings. An EPC provides information on
the total energy consumed per m of the
2
building compared to the SANS 10400 XA
maximum-allowed energy consumption for
the class of building concerned.
A building’s energy performance refers
to the net energy consumed in kilowatt hours
2
per square meter per annum (kWh/m /year)
and accounts for all major energy-consuming
systems including heating, cooling,
ventilation, hot water and lighting; once
obtained, it is valid for a period of five years.
At its most basic, an EPC is a measure
of the energy performance of a building
expressed on a certificate as a rating.
This rating uses letters from A to G, with A
being the best, denoting very low energy
consumption per square meter and G the
worst possible rating associated with very
high energy consumption per square meter
(see Figure 1). Figure 1: Energy performance certificate (SANEDI)

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