Financial services firm Standard Bank, through its residential energy efficiency tool, has partnered with the South African National Development Energy Institute (SANEDI) to launch an energy and carbon certification for existing homes to support residential sustainability.

The partners are now embarking on an official pilot programme in preparation for a full market rollout.

Recognised certification programmes in South Africa for residential homes have thus far only focused on newly built homes. The new LookSee certification programme fills a critical gap, namely enabling homeowners to understand, improve and be recognised for the energy performance of their existing homes, SANEDI said.

“South Africa must address the carbon footprint of existing homes to meet its climate goals. This certification provides key insights and empowers homeowners to cut emissions and save on electricity costs,” said Standard Bank Personal and Private Banking head Kabelo Makeke.

The certification is underpinned by a custom methodology developed by Standard Bank energy specialists and LookSee.

There are more than six-million residential properties in South Africa.

“We built a solution that can assess homes in a practical, data-driven and scalable way, without requiring costly inspections or disruptive processes, and provide a framework for measuring the energy efficiency of retrofitted homes,” said Standard Bank LookSee executive head Marc du Plessis.

The team used data such as electricity bills, satellite imagery and inverter logs to run an internal pre-pilot to build a detailed energy profile for each home. It then benchmarked this against industry standards to determine ratings.

The thoroughness of the LookSee approach, including how data is sourced and validated and how the methodology aligns with the South African National Standards and the country’s sustainability objectives, impressed SANEDI, said SANEDI energy efficiency and demand side management GM Faith Mkhacwa.

“This certification programme has the potential to promote a culture of energy efficiency, support South Africa’s 2030 residential energy targets, and help homeowners and buyers make smarter, more sustainable decisions.

“The availability of reliable data gathered through this initiative can also be used to inform future energy policies,” she said.

The certifications framework will give families insights into their energy consumption. Few households know how their electricity consumption compares to similar homes, and whether they are efficient in their use or not.

“Further, the carbon rating will help them understand their environmental impact, and this awareness is critical to get the residential market to act on climate change,” said Du Plessis.

“This programme will allow South Africa to build a more energy-efficient residential market, which could open up access to green funding on the international stage. It is essential that households are empowered to contribute to the national goal of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030,” he said.