Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa October 2014 | Page 40

GREEN BY MONIQUE TERRAZAS Get The EDGE A game-changer in the residential sector G lobal real estate portal Lamudi recently published the top 10 most important factors for those looking for a home in 2014. Taking the number 1 spot on the list of modern house-hunters’ demands is energy efficiency. In South Africa, where our electricity supply is on a knife-edge, our water resources are under extreme pressure and consumers’ monthly utility bills are crippling, green buildings could not be more important. Buildings in South Africa account for 48% of electricity consumption, with 37% of that amount attributable to the residential sector. The EDGE At the recent 7th Annual Convention of the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA), a new green building certification programme for homes was launched in South Africa by the GBCSA in partnership with World Bank Group member, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and local rollout partners the National Home Builder Registration Council (NHBRC). The launch of the “EDGE” rating system, to be utilised for homes in South Africa, comes in the wake of the GBCSA’s hugely successful My Green Home education and awareness campaign for the greening of homes, in addition to a detailed market research study on the potential need and impact of EDGE in the South African market. 40 October 2014 SA Real Estate Investor EDGE, which stands for “Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies,” seeks to help facilitate a transformation of the property sector in rapidly urbanising countries by influencing design considerations. To achieve the EDGE standard, minimum savings of 20% energy, water, and embodied energy in materials must be met. Global first “This entry into the housing market is another major milestone for us and illustrates our commitment to bolstering and promoting green building in all sectors of property development in South Africa. The groundbreaking partnership between the GBCSA and IFC will see South Africa become the first country to operate the EDGE certification program for homes on behalf of IFC,” says Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the GBCSA. GET THE EDGE Medium to large residential projects currently at concept design stage that are interested in piloting certification using the EDGE rating tool should register their interest with the GBCSA via [email protected]. “This partnership puts South Africa in a leading position globa