Page 46 - Energize April 2022

VIEWS AND OPINION

EPCs – Participants in the race to zero

BY RUJEANNE SWANEPOEL, REMOTE METERING SOLUTIONS

ace To Zero is a global campaign to energy security and reduced national
rally leadership and support from carbon emissions.
Rbusiness, cities, regions and investors The overall objective of EPCs is to
for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon create a comprehensive national register
recovery that prevents future threats, with accurate and reliable building data,
creates decent jobs and unlocks inclusive to support government initiatives in the
sustainable growth. areas of energy efficiency monitoring, GHG
Accounting for 40% of global energy emissions obligations, carbon tax, etc.
consumption and 33% of greenhouse Introducing EPCs allows for improved
gas emissions (GHG) (World Economic ability to identify and implement energy
Forum, 22 Feb 2021), the carbon emissions efficiency interventions in buildings
associated with buildings and the reduction at a national scale. Ultimately, EPCs
thereof is a key part of the decarbonisation should unlock a wider energy efficiency
challenge. value chain, as building owners look at
South Africa is no exception, and the implementing more efficient systems
carbon emissions of our local building stock and work towards compliance and/or an
must reduce if South Africa is to achieve improvement in a building’s EPC rating,
its goal of aligning the country to a 2°C whether they are looking at HVAC, lighting,
scenario. water heating, energy monitoring, sensors Rujeanne Swanepoel
The importance of this goal is or improved appliances and equipment.
evidenced by the proposed Post-2015 The South African government has
National Energy Efficiency Strategy (NEES) Climate change is already a measurable pledged to peak the country’s greenhouse
which requires that state-owned buildings reality and along with other developing gas emissions between 2020 and 2025
reduce specific energy consumption by countries, South Africa is especially at respectively 34% and 42% below a
50%, and commercial buildings by 37%, by vulnerable to its impacts. South Africa business-as-usual trajectory, before
2030. (Department of Mineral Resources is the world’s 14th largest emitter of remaining on a plateau for approximately
and Energy. 2016 Post-2015 National greenhouse gases, principally due to a a decade and then declining in absolute
Energy Efficiency Strategy [Draft]). heavy reliance on coal as our primary terms thereafter (UNFCCC, 2011).
An insight into the baseline energy source of energy (Carbon Brief, 2018). The Energy Efficiency and Energy and
efficiency (kWh/m ) of buildings is the National Climate Change Response White Demand Management flagship programmes
2
starting point for achieving required Paper is a comprehensive plan to address are highlighted as a key component of
improvements to building energy efficiency both mitigation and adaptation in the the National Climate Change Response
and EPCs will assist in this understanding. short, medium and long term (up to 2050). (National Climate Change Response White
EPCs are an internationally recognised South Africa’s response to climate change Paper). A structured programme will be
tool to assess and benchmark the energy has two objectives: established with appropriate initiatives,
efficiency of buildings. In most countries • Effectively manage inevitable climate incentives and regulation, along with a
EPCs play an important role in providing change impacts through interventions well-resourced information collection and
the ability to map the building stock energy that build and sustain South Africa’s dissemination process.
efficiency at a national scale; to monitor social, economic and environmental Furthermore, during SONA 2021
the impact of building policies and to resilience and emergency response the president announced the inaugural
support the introduction of new minimum capacity. Presidential Climate Change Coordinating
energy efficiency requirements within the • Make a fair contribution to the global Commission (PCC). The commission is
regulatory process, and to help enable effort to stabilise greenhouse gas tasked with advising on South Africa’s
carbon reporting and target setting in concentrations in the atmosphere, climate change response and includes
relation to the building sector. at a level that avoids dangerous mitigation and adaptation to climate
EPCs instigate change by driving anthropogenic interference with the change and its associated impacts. It
measurement and profiling of buildings, climate system, within a timeframe will, in addition, provide independent
which can then prompt improvements, that enables economic, social and monitoring and review of South Africa’s
resulting in reduced electricity environmental development to progress in meeting its emissions reduction
consumption by buildings, improved proceed in a sustainable manner. and adaptation goals.

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