JSE-listed real estate investment trust Emira Property Fund has completed the certification of 31 of its buildings to become compliant with new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations ahead of the December 7 deadline.

The company will also voluntarily certify a further 23 non-mandated buildings by March 31, 2023, says Emira COO Ulana van Biljon.

The Mandatory Display and Submission of EPCs for Buildings regulation, in terms of the National Energy Act, means that specific commercial buildings must have EPCs. These buildings include public sector buildings of more than 1 000 m² and private sector buildings larger than 2 000 m². Building types include offices, schools and tertiary institutions, places of public assembly, indoor sport and theatres.

The EPC must be displayed in the foyer of each mandated building and submitted every five years to the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). Based on energy performance – defined as net energy consumed in kilowatt-hours per square metre a year – buildings are graded on their efficiency from A to G, with A-grade certifications being the most efficient.

“We are pleased to have ensured compliance with this new regulation well before the deadline and the voluntarily certifying of our non-mandated buildings is consistent with our commitment to best practices, carbon reduction and the environment,” Van Biljon says.

Further, while EPCs are becoming compulsory, they are, first and foremost, a valuable decision-making tool for property owners. They provide insight into the energy-saving potential of a building and are particularly helpful when investing in and implementing projects aimed at reducing the energy consumption of buildings and property portfolios, she highlights.

“Knowing a building’s energy performance supports good property and environmental decisions,” notes Van Biljon.

Further, Emira’s commitment to the environment is evident throughout its portfolio and its operations. It is active in increasing renewable energy and water efficiency, reducing waste and pollution and promoting biodiversity and positive ecological impact, says Emira CEO Geoff Jennett.

“At Emira, providing great real estate is also about managing our carbon footprint, improving affordable and clean energy, implementing integrated waste and recycling plans, water management and water harvesting projects and safeguarding biodiversity. Our energy and other environmental initiatives provide greener, more enjoyable and productive environments for our tenants,” he notes.

During the year from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, Emira reduced its total emissions by 3.8%. Supporting this, it reduced grid electricity use by 2% with 79 different energy efficiency projects, including installing solar power that increased its renewable energy production by 16%, as well as converting to light-emitting diode lights at its properties and upgrading its heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Emira drives its positive impacts with specific targets and initiatives to give substance to its environmental, social and governance commitments, says Jennett.

Meanwhile, the company has also turned to solar power to provide a green power supply to its buildings, as well as to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and mitigate climate change. It has increased its installed capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and now has solar panels at nine properties.

Its latest solar PV installation is at the prime office asset, Knightsbridge Block A in Bryanston, Johannesburg, which has become one of the first Net-Zero Carbon buildings in South Africa. It was also the first building to get an EPC in the Emira portfolio, Jennett points out.

In the financial year to June 30, 2022, Emira’s PV plants saved 9.9-million kilowatt-hours and avoided 10 543 t of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions.

“Emira remains focused on growing its clean solar-powered energy installations to improve energy efficiency and reduce its environmental footprint and the strain on the national grid in light of the increasingly uncertain electricity supply from [State-owned] Eskom,” Jennett says.

The expansion of its Pretoria Wonderpark Shopping Centre system of 1.6 MW to 2.8 MW will boost its positive environmental impacts, and Emira’s solar plants also position it to feed power back into the grid.

Meanwhile, among its other projects, its water efficiency initiatives have saved 151.08-million litres.

Emira has also installed beehives at a number of properties, he adds.