There is, however, a lot that build¬ings can do to become more energy efficient in order to reduce their operating costs, and reduce their impact on the environment.
 
A recent study of twenty large commercial buildings in the Cape Town Central City indicated that the average consumption for these buildings is 289 kWh per square meter per year. This is considered quite high by energy experts. Buildings should be aiming at below 200 kWh per m² per year in terms of becoming more efficient. This measure of electricity consumption is an indicator which commercial buildings can use to check their current consumption, and set targets for efficiency improvement.
 
Commenting on the research project which was conducted by the Cape Town Partnership and low energy and passive design experts PJCarew Consulting, CE Andrew Boraine said although a small sample, these research results show that there is definitely room for improvement in terms of buildings in the Central City becoming more energy efficient. “Higher power bills are making investments in energy efficiency interventions much more attractive now,” Andrew said.
 
Eskom and the City of Cape Town have asked all consumers to reduce electricity consumption by 10%. New buildings have to be de¬signed ‘green’ from the start, and existing buildings can be ‘retrofitted’ with more energy efficient lighting, air conditioning and hot water heating systems. Reputable energy service companies (ESCOs) like Shared Energy Management tend to be able to reduce building’s consumption by an average of about 20%, and up to 50% or more in some buildings.
 
Buildings have different requirements depending on the power needs of the occupants and the type of usage of the space. Currently national standards are being developed for energy efficiency of buildings. Called SANS 204-1, it will specify a maximum annual con¬sumption for different categories of buildings such as large retail buildings (shops and malls), offices, and hotels.
 
The new Green Buildings Council of South Africa is currently adapting the Australian ‘Green Star’ rating system for use in South Africa, and it includes energy efficiency benchmarks. The new South African Green Star system is scheduled to be out for comment in July 2008.
 
The Partnership’s Energy Efficiency Initiative is a joint project with the Sustainability Institute, with seed funding from Dutch foundation Cordaid. It is targeted at commercial buildings in the Central City area, and has also been asked to assist the City of Cape Town to ‘retrofit’ some of their buildings with energy efficient systems. PJCarew Consulting are sustainability consultants with a specialization in passive and low-energy building design.
Publisher: eProp
Source: Cape Town Partnership