Compliance with EPC regulations made easier with Remote Metering Solutions
By Frikkie Malan, Chief Commercial Officer at Remote Metering Solutions
The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) extended the energy performance certification (for certain buildings) deadline from December 2022 to December 2025. Property owners who fail to comply with EPC regulations risk facing significant financial fines, jail time, or both.
According to clause 4.1.1 of SANS 1544:2014, an EPC Inspection body must express the energy performance of a building in terms of the measured annual net energy consumption in kilowatt hours per square meter (kWh/m2) of the net floor area.
Therefore, an EPC Inspection can only use measured energy consumption to determine the EPC rating of a building – the clause makes it impossible for an EPC Inspection body to issue an EPC for a building where the energy consumption is based on calculations or some form of energy model.
Property owners therefore need to ensure that energy meters are in place for all building classes that fall under the regulations to avoid the penalties as mentioned earlier.
The journey to certification starts with the building owner contracting the services of a SANAS-accredited EPC Inspection Body to validate which buildings in their portfolio will need certification. Fortunately, this is a quick and cost-effective exercise.
Remote Metering Solutions (RMS), the largest privately-owned South African utility service provider, is a SANAS-accredited EPC Inspection Body that has certified the energy performance of buildings throughout South Africa.
What if a building does not have a meter(s) to generate the data essential for certification?
EPC regulations
Meters must be installed in all relevant buildings as a priority to start measuring the energy consumption of those buildings. Of course, there is a cost to implementing these meters. But if the building owner considers any meaningful improvements to their buildings’ energy performance, having proper metering installed is essential. Without the correct consumption data, any efforts at implementing and sustaining energy efficiency interventions will be limited.
Acquiring and installing a meter is something that property owners should see as a valuable investment in sustainable energy management and an indispensable enabler of efficient building and facilities management.
The RMS EPC Inspection Body is ready to assist building owners in complying with EPC regulations.
RMS manages properties across South Africa and other SADC countries and help our clients recover more than R5-billion in utilities annually. Contact us today to ensure compliance and improve energy efficiency with proper metering.