paying the water and electricity bill . In the South African context , the two are the scarcest resources , and they continue to threaten the livelihoods of the South African people . The nationwide electricity outages i . e . load shedding imposed by Eskom due to its inability to carry the entire country ’ s electricity demand load is one of the indicators that should there not be an intervention by ordinary South Africans , the future of this country ’ s utilities will not be a sweet one .
When Eskom informed Parliament in September that rotational power outages were here to stay until at least March 2022 , many consumers took a hard look at how they could become less reliant on the national grid . For property developers , this meant a big growth in buyers looking for smarter , greener homes with utility management as one of their priorities .
During such a time where the economy , employment and business activity are under attack due to the pandemic , a time where bond and loan repayments have been freezed due to lost jobs , people cannot afford to pay more on utilities . Play your part in making the world a better place by simply saving the energy if you do not have means of getting yourself sufficient energy . Now it is the time to save up and make up .
9 WAYS TO SAVE ELECTRICITY AT HOME Hang your clothes instead of using a tumble dry Use your laptop more than your desktop Switch off your power strip before you leave Switch to LED bulbs Charge your phone in airplane mode and before bedtime Unplug mobile phone and laptop chargers Delete unwanted files from cloud storage Delete old emails
9 WAYS TO SAVE WATER AT HOME These are climate friendly tips from UNICEF on how to save one of the most precious resources on Earth
Collect running water from your shower while you wait for it to get hot
Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth Wash your clothes with cold water Take showers instead of baths
Use your leftover pasta water to feed your plants and enrich your hair
Fill a bowl with your extra running water to wash your produce
Only fill the kettle to the amount of water needed If you smoke , always throw cigarette butts in trash – never on the ground
Going green might seem like a daunting venture , but it is a good save . Besides the help in protecting the atmosphere and the ozone layer , it continues to give life to the people by reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted daily , most of which come from manufacturing processes of the material that developers use to build properties . Developers should start building green . And the move towards building green is not just about doing what is right .
According to the South African Green Building Council , Green Star buildings enjoy energy savings of between 25 % and 50 % compared to older methods and the payback period of energy and water saving practices have dropped , especially as costs of green building technologies are declining and utility costs continue to rise . This is an opportunity for developers too .
For investors , studies from the US and Australia , showing that property valuations on green buildings are around 11 % to 12 % higher makes for an attractive argument . Even rentals of green buildings are around 5 % higher , making these dwellings much more attractive for the buy-to-rent investor .
For property developers who have not yet mastered the diverse move of going green in their properties it is important that they make certain that the mentioned tips above about saving water and electricity are followed by the tenants and / or their clients . This can only happen if the developers make use of smart meters , because these meters can help monitor smart appliances - many of which can adjust operations to changing information . This may involve turning off or operating in low or off-peak periods or opting to use green energy when there is a high supply of it .
According to the Managing Director of Citiq Prepaid , Michael Franze at the heart of any new smart and less grid-dependent home is the ability to measure and manage utilities . Franze is highlighting the need for smart meters in homes and developments inorder for tenants to easily monitor their consumption of energy . We live in the digital age , where smart meters are easily accessible .
“ Just a few years ago , anyone who wanted smart appliances and eco-friendly designed homes would have to be amongst the wealthiest of homeowners . Now , not only has the price of smart technology dropped , but green buildings have become the most sought after of new developments . Enabling this revolution is a smart prepaid meter that is now available off the shelf at a price point that makes it comparable to older meters . For developers who are looking to make their offerings as attractive as possible , ensuring homes are equipped to deal with utilities intelligently must start with the meter they choose ,” Franze concludes .
SOURCES Citiq Prepaid & UNICEF
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 21