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Building owners have just two months to comply with energy performance certificates (EPC) registration as the 7 December 2025 deadline approaches.
The regulations, introduced in 2020, make it mandatory to display an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) in non-residential buildings in South Africa. Non-compliant building owners risk imprisonment, a fine, or both. In July 2025, Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, Samantha Graham-Maré, said that over 7,000 public and private buildings have registered for the certificate, while 3,884 EPCs had been issued.
“This is a disappointingly slow start, given the Department of Mineral Resources & Energy’s target of reaching 60,000 registrations by the December deadline,” says Alison Groves, Director, Built Ecology, WSP in Africa. “It’s clear that there’s no time to waste and property owners and building managers must act swiftly to ensure they do not contravene legislation.”
As the EPC registration deadline looms, it’s important to note that certification is not a once-off exercise. EPCs are valid for five years from date of issue, meaning that building owners will have to undertake a recertification process periodically. To support clients through the certification cycle, WSP is preparing to offer EPC audit services to ensure compliance with SANS1544:2014, alongside review and advisory services focused on ongoing energy performance improvement.
Level A certification represents the highest possible energy efficiency rating, while Level G indicates the lowest. Although there are no formal penalties for poor performance, publicly displaying a Level G rating could serve as a powerful incentive. Property owners may feel a sense of reputational pressure or embarrassment, which can motivate them to take action – investing in upgrades that improve energy performance and contribute to a more sustainable built environment.
Groves is hopeful that the EPC process could herald the start of a momentum shift in South Africa, where driving sustainability and increased efficiency have been given lip service by many property owners for too long. “The UK has been doing this kind of certification for nearly two decades resulting in a greater awareness of energy efficiency,” Groves explains. “In fact, since 2007, it has been a legal requirement to have a valid EPC when selling, renting, or building a property in the UK.”
As property owners and managers become aware of their energy usage through the EPC rating they receive, managing all aspects of a building’s energy use and finding solutions that maximise efficiency and improve long-term reliability will begin to hold more perceived value.
“Once the initial EPC is issued, we anticipate an increase in property owners setting energy efficiency goals to improve their original building ratings. This is where we can ensure not only compliance with EPC legislation, but help to reduce energy consumption and costs, and assess and implement self-supply options” Groves says.
