Critical deadline for all buildings in South Africa is approaching fast

While businesses in South Africa have been given a three-year reprieve to obtain and display a new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) – time is running out to register building details, which needs to happen before the end of this year.

All non-residential buildings in South Africa will soon be required to show an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), with non-compliance resulting in building owners or accounting officers facing five years imprisonment, a R5 million fine, or both.

An EPC is aimed at helping building owners and accounting officers identify areas that need to improve energy efficiency. This is to ensure that a building remains more economically sustainable while also lowering the energy use of the building.

Last year, the deadline to display an EPC was extended from 7 December 2022 to 7 December 2025.

Although commercial owners were relieved by the extension, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe only extended the cut-off date to obtain and display a valid EPC to 7 December 2025.

The amended regulations said that commercial building owners “must register the type and size of a building and its energy performance to the National Building Energy Performance Register maintained by SANEDI within 12 months of the promulgation of these regulations,” – which is 25 November 2023. 

“The deadline of 7 December 2025 applies only to the display of the certificate. Commercial building owners who might have been under the impression that they now have three years to deal with their building’s energy performance, should take note of the 25 November 2023 deadline,” Pauline Fisher, Operations Director of ECO AUDIT SA, said.

“The first step for building owners is to submit their building’s current energy performance to SANEDI by 25 November 2023. The initial energy performance calculation doesn’t need to be based on the outcome of a building inspection. It also doesn’t require the review and sign-off by a technical signatory from an accredited inspection body.”

“But it would benefit building owners to involve an accredited inspection body. Obtaining an EPC involves an assessment of your building by the inspection body and, depending on the energy rating you receive, you might want to improve your building’s energy performance before submitting the certificate to SANEDI.”

Building owners and accounting officers will have to act fast as there is a major shortage of inspection bodies.

Despite roughly 250,000 privately owned buildings still needing a certificate, there are only 16 SANAS-accredited inspection bodies.

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Critical deadline for all buildings in South Africa is approaching fast