- The registration of all large public and private buildings for an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) can no longer be delayed.
- An EPC is a certificate that indicates how much energy is being used to operate a building, which is indicated through a performance scale of A-G, with A indicating a building is most energy efficient and G being least energy efficient.
- The deadline for obtaining one is 7 December 2025. Read more
The EPC is part of the Department of Electricity and Energy’s (DEE) and South African National Energy Development Institute’s (SANEDI) priority to promote energy efficiency in South Africa.
Since its launch in December 2020, 7 988 buildings have been registered, and 4 342 EPCs have been issued until 15 October 2025. Of these, Gauteng leads with 2 848 registrations and 1 871 issued EPCs, followed by the Western Cape with 2 331 registrations and 1 739 EPCs. The Northern Cape has the fewest, with 80 registrations and 14 EPCs issued.
Buildings registered and issued EPCs in other provinces are:
- KwaZulu-Natal – 1 051 registered, 348 EPCs issued
- Eastern Cape – 474 registered, 111 EPCs issued
- Mpumalanga – 356 registered, 74 EPCs issued
- Free State – 613 registered, 94 EPCs issued
- Limpopo – 128 registered, 50 EPCs issued
- North West – 107 registered, 41 EPCs issued
Under the Regulation, Mandatory Display and Submission of Energy Performance Certificates, in the National Energy Act, 1998 (Act No. 34 of 2008), all state-owned buildings that are 1 000m² and owners of commercial buildings of 2 000m² that fall under the occupancy classifications: A1 – Entertainment and public assembly; A2 – Theatrical and indoor sport; A3 – Places of instruction and G1 – Offices, are required to register their buildings and publicly display EPCs by 7 December 2025.
The purpose of EPCs:
- Indicates the energy performance of a building
- Serves as regulatory tools/instruments targeting inefficient buildings, encouraging transformation towards energy-efficient buildings
- Are indicators for building owners to note and change their consumption patterns to benefit financially and comply with regulations
- In the long term, they promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through the implementation of energy efficiency interventions using reliable data from existing EPCs
It is important to note that the deadline will not be extended. As of 6 October 2025, 116 more buildings have registered, but these additions do not take us close to the 60 000 registrations which we are aiming for. We share a collective responsibility to meet the EPC requirement. Employing energy-saving measures comes with several benefits, including saving money and protecting the environment.
Find a registered EPC service provider HERE
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
