The Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality has launched an ambitious Energy Efficiency Demand Side Management (EEDSM) project aimed at assisting the institution to become more energy efficient in its daily operations.
The initiative, led by the municipality’s Energy and Electricity Directorate, has already delivered several milestones, including the completion of energy efficiency audits for 60 municipal buildings.
The move aligns with national regulations issued in 2020 by the Department of Mineral
Resources and Energy (DMRE), which required all government-owned buildings larger than 1 000 square meters to display and submit Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) by December 2025.An EPC measures the energy performance of a building in kilowatt-hours per square meter (kWh/m²), using a rating scale from A (highly efficient) to G (least efficient
Energy performance means how much energy is used per square meter of a building. Diving deeper, the calculation of this performance must also consider other fuel sources like petrol from generators.
According to the municipality, the city oversees a number of buildings throughout the metro area.
Between 2022 and 2024, the municipality screened more than 200 buildings, conducted audits on 60, and identified 24 requiring EPC certification.
To date, qualified assessors have verified energy performance data for six of these buildings.
The most energy efficient building in the city is the South End Fire Station complex, which houses the Directorate of Safety and Security.
The building was ranked the city’s most energy-efficient facility following extensive retrofits, including energy-efficient lighting installed throughout the city between 2023-2025, and inverter-type air-conditioning systems designed to reduce unnecessary power use.
“Energy and Electricity also leads the Municipal Energy Management System (MEMS), under which various projects are underway. Examples are the retrofitting of the Newton Park Swimming Pool, as well as new floodlights and the retrofit of the water treatment process at Fishwater Flats Wastewater Treatment Works. Funding for EPCs for an additional 19 municipal buildings has been obtained,” the municipality said.
During a recent meeting, the project managers explained that the energy sector within the Nelson Mandela Bay is changing and that the Energy and Electricity Directorate and the municipality must adapt to become a facilitator and provider of alternative and sustainable energy solutions. – SAnews.gov.za
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