LookSee and SANEDI unveil South Africa’s first energy and carbon certification for existing homes
Standard Bank’s LookSee home efficiency platform has partnered exclusively with the South African National Development Energy Institute (SANEDI) to launch South Africa’s first energy and carbon certification for existing homes.
This certification has the potential to help approximately 6 million homes understand and improve their energy performance and environmental impact.
The certification also aligns with the country’s Just Energy Transition (JET) framework and can contribute significantly to South Africa’s climate and energy policy objectives.
“South Africa cannot achieve its climate goals without tackling the carbon footprint of its existing base,” said Kabelo Makeke, Head of Personal and Private Banking at Standard Bank.
“This certification aims to provide the country with meaningful insights into the residential sector and empower homeowners to play an active role in reducing their environmental footprint and unlocking meaningful cost savings on their electricity bills.”
How it works
LookSee and Standard Bank’s energy specialists have built a custom methodology to analyse the energy efficiency and environmental impact of existing South African homes.
This methodology is designed to be easily scalable, as there is no need for time-consuming and costly inspections or other disruptions to homeowners’ daily lives.
Instead, the approach leverages real-world data that is already accessible to homeowners, including electricity invoices, high-resolution satellite imagery, and inverter performance logs.
The resulting energy profile educates each homeowner on factors such as overall consumption efficiency, renewable energy contribution, and carbon emissions, as well as how the home compares to industry benchmarks in each area.
“While many families know their electricity bill, few understand how it compares to similar homes,” said Marc du Plessis, LookSee Executive Head.
“An ‘A’ energy rating confirms strong performance, while an ‘F’ flags opportunity for improvement and real savings.”
He added that the carbon rating will be the first view that most households have of their environmental impact.
“This awareness is critical if we hope to get the residential market to act on climate change,” said du Plessis.
SANEDI and LookSee partnership
SANEDI has endorsed the certification approach and entered into a cooperation agreement with LookSee.
“This certification programme has the potential to transform the residential market by promoting a culture of energy efficiency, supporting South Africa’s 2030 residential energy targets, and helping homeowners and buyers make smarter, more sustainable decisions,” said Faith Mkhacwa, SANEDI’s General Manager for Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management.
LookSee and SANEDI are now initiating an official pilot programme in preparation for a full market rollout.
With over 6 million residential properties in South Africa, both parties believe that the initiative will lay the groundwork for unprecedented climate action efforts in South Africa.
“Importantly, the availability of reliable and accurate data gathered through this initiative can also be used to inform future energy policies and programmes in the country,” said Mkhacwa.
Click here to learn more about LookSee.
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