Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa April 2016 | Page 49

increased levy for usage beyond the recommended
cap. No, it’s not something South Africans will
welcome with open arms, but if it’s done correctly,
rationally and with the necessary systems in place, it’s
really worth a thought.
New residential developments could be forced to be
much more energy efficient than they already are, if
stricter regulations were set in place from the planning
stage. In these cases, the allowed energy and water
usage could be set lower than in older developments,
to ensure that the capital invested actually delivers the
expected results.
From a behavioural psychology perspective, the
discomfort caused by punishment (in this case a higher
levy on indulgent energy usage) might just affect the
desired change in our consumerist ways – us humans
don’t really enjoy being punished, especially when it
affects our finances. Eventually, although brought
about by an unpleasant push from government, we’d
adjust to these regulations, manage just fine in spite of
them, and see real results.

New residential
developments could be
forced to be much more
energy efficient than they
already are, if stricter
regulations were set in place
from the planning stage.
The cool factor

As with all major revolutions throughout history, the
process of converting to a more sustainable way of
living is one that will probably take 50 to 80 years to
really run its course. But what if we were to try and
speed it up? According to Pretoria’s Mari-Louis van
der Spuy, who holds a Masters’ degree in Consumer
Sciences, one approach worth considering is appealing
to the current decision maker’s desire to be cool and
on trend.
As Malcolm Gladwell says in his book, ‘The
Tipping Point’: “There is a simple way to package
information that, under the right circumstances, can
make it irresistible. All you have to do is find it.”
So, what if we could package a greener way of living
in such a way that it becomes irresistibly cool? From
a psychological point of view, this approach shifts the
focus from changing the behaviour, to making the
www.reimag.co.za

effects of the changed behaviour really desirable. If
we could package new green residential developments
just right, consumers would be buying into a higher
social status, a higher level of independence from
government entities, and the much wanted bragging
rights of being a step ahead. Surely that is something
a great deal of potential homeowners would be
interested in?

What the ‘in crowd’ looks like

Ettiene Pretorius, CEO and founder of South African
Capital Partnering with his latest eco development
will be breaking ground in Pretoria East in February
2017 will be aiming to do just that – packaging green
living to be absolutely irresistible.
With sustainable living as the goal, each unit
in the estate will be fitted with a UPS system, 5W
LED lights, hig