The facilities management industry recognises the need to adopt smart and innovative technology to provide increased visibility and transparency while increasing efficiency and reducing costs within their facilities. According to Environmental Leader, using Environmental Social Governance (ESG) data provides significant benefits to organisations.
Facilities Managers can employ advanced dashboarding and record-keeping systems to report environmental performance to multiple stakeholders. These are just some of the insights I highlighted at the recent South African Facilities Management Association (SAFMA) conference that took place in George, Western Cape.
The onset of ESG reporting requirements has created a need for a sustainability change management process within the facilities management industry value chains. In order to support the industry to make this shift, Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) have been introduced to assist the industry introduce benchmarking tools to monitor energy performance of their often complex and large facilities portfolios. EPCs are now mandatory for private sector, non-residential buildings with a total net floor area of over 2000sqm, and government buildings of over 1000sqm. The due date to comply with the mandatory government regulation is the 7th of December 2022 which effectively leaves facilities managers and property owners with less than two months to obtain and prominently display an EPC in the foyer of their building. Building owners who fail to comply risk a possible fine of R5 million, five years imprisonment or both, as defined in the mandatory regulations gazetted on 8 December 2020.
Overview of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) reporting requirements
The EPC will provide an energy rating for a building which is based on the performance potential of the building itself (i.e., the fabric) and its associated Building Services (such as HVAC, Lighting). The energy performance of the building is based on an Asset rating scale of A-G, A being the most energy efficient and G being the least energy efficient, similar to the energy labels provided on domestic appliances. A D-rating is the benchmark rating that is in line with the national building regulations (i.e., SANS 10400-XA).
An EPC must be issued by a South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) accredited Inspection Body with the support of technical assessors and an energy auditing team. The EPC must be displayed at the building’s main entrance; and must be submitted to the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). Once issued each EPC is valid for 5 years.
The primary objective in obliging building owners to obtain EPCs is to make them aware of their energy consumption and encourage them to be more energy efficient if their EPC rating is poor i.e., Levels E to G. With ESG reporting becoming a risk management response to energy management facilities, EPCs will offer FMs the benchmarking they require to achieve their sustainability targets in the long run.
Our Track Record in Energy Performance Certification implementation in South Africa
To date Oelinga has already implemented Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for JSE-listed Commercial Property Owners in South Africa.
The Oelinga EPC team comprises a SANAS-Accredited Inspection Body (EPC0019), Technical Assessors and EPC Practitioners technicians, who were trained through GreenBDG NPC Foundation. We employ Certified Measurement and Verification Professionals (CMVP®), Certified Energy Managers (CEM®), engineers, and consultants who apply their extensive experience to provide value to clients.
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