SA Affordable Housing January - February 2020 // ISSUE: 80 | Page 17

FEATURE
How to build it clean and green
By Eamonn Ryan
Unfortunately, when it comes to building affordable housing developments so
as to be ‘affordable’, many developers continue to build as cheaply as possible
rather than employ the number of energy savings practices that drive down
the future running costs of the homes for those that can least afford it.
Energy bills have increased in the region of 300% over the last fifteen years.
“
For the past nine years, developers have had to comply with
SANS standard 10400-XA. So, from the moment of building the
foundation, the developers should simply adhere to South
African national standards. In order for any building to receive
a certificate of occupancy, every involved professional from the
architect to the builder needs to have complied.
These are not necessarily high-tech solutions but include
choice of building materials. It can, for instance, mean the use
of high-quality roofing insulation such as polystyrene ceiling
boards which might need to be 100mm thick (though by
Rational Design it could be as low as 30mm, or roll-on glass
But we are seeing a change,” says Barry Bredenkamp,
general manager for Energy Efficiency at The South
African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI),
“Home buyers are starting to insist upon it because energy
and water costs are becoming unaffordable for the average
person.” People are increasingly looking not just at the capital
cost of a home, but its running costs, and are demanding a
house which has the cheapest possible costs. “Energy saving
construction techniques are invaluable, as building an
energy-efficient home will not only cut costs in the end, but is
environmentally responsible and aesthetically pleasing.”
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