Phase 2 of the Cato Manor retrofit project, in Durban, will result in 26 low-income houses being retrofitted and it aims to illustrate the benefits of low-emission developments, including the socioeconomic benefits to the community, says spokesperson of the Australian High Commission in South Africa Sandy Collet.

Phase 2 was officially launched on January 16 by the eThekwini municipality, along with the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) and the Australian government. The bulk of the project’s elements were completed at the end of 2012 and the final research report will be completed by the end of June.

The Australian government, through the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and Australia’s development assis- tance organisation, AusAID, provided A$125 000 (about R1.15-million) for Phase 2.

“The Australian government believes that the impact of climate change can seriously erode the development gains made by many countries and put current and future livelihoods at risk, especially in poor and vulnerable communities. The Cato Manor Green Street project has become a vehicle for learning and enterprise, where training and work opportunities are being created, where challenges are being overcome and where new technologies are being implemented,” says Collet.

“Phase 2 has built on some of the lessons learnt in Phase 1, resulting in some changes. These include, for example, the introduction of new ceiling-insulation technologies and improved ventilation, the results of which will be assessed over the next five months. In addition, the training programme for local labour and small to medium-sized enterprise develop- ment has been expanded,” states Collet.

Engineering News reported last year on the successful completion of Phase 1 of the street retrofit project, which was funded by the British High Commission to South Africa.

Phase 1 entailed the upgrading of 30 low-cost houses using green building techniques. The area was selected for the project in the run-up to the seventeenth Congress of the Parties (COP17), which was held in December 2011, as the GBCSA wanted to demonstrate that energy efficiency interventions in low-cost housing could not only change people’s lives for the better but also significantly reduce carbon emissions. Cato Manor is close to the Durban city centre; therefore, it offers easy access to site visits for advocacy and the promotion of awareness.

GBCSA CEO Brian Wilkinson believes that the Cato Manor project is a living showcase and celebration of how greening interventions in low-cost housing can improve the quality of life of residents and provide multiple benefits for the country.
“This is where the environment and the development agendas meet,” he adds.

“Some of the positive outcomes of Phase 1 for residents include having hot water on tap for the first time, owing to solar water heating; saving of up to 25% on electricity; having improved water and food security through rainwater harvesting and food gardens; enjoying greater comfort through better insulation , which reduces peak summer temperatures by between 4 ºC and 8 ºC; and lower consumption levels in fuels like paraffin, coal and wood, resulting in reduced health problems and fire safety risks,” says GBCSA senior project manager: socioeco- nomic and advocacy Sarah Rushmere.

A report was released by the GBCSA this year, outlining some of the challenges of Phases 1 and 2 up to December last year.

The technical challenges include the tendency of insulated ceilings in subtropical climates to trap heat that has been accumulating during the day and, unless there are sufficient levels of insulation or heat moderation to keep radiant heat out, effective ventilation has to be provided.

Different technologies are most valued or effective in different climatic areas. Although the most popular intervention in Cato Manor was solar water heaters, ceilings were used in a similar retrofitting project in 2010, in Cape Town.

The benefits of retrofits like those at Cato Manor, could result in significant savings in energy and water to the value of R3-billion a year at current tariffs, says Rushmere.

Local government, namely several departments of the eThekwini municipality, including the Energy office, Electricity, Architecture, the Agricultural Management Unit and the Cleansing and Solid Waste Unit, contributed resources to the Cato Manor retrofit project.

Several South African companies also sponsored or supported the initiative by undertaking the construction of ceilings and the installation of the ceilings, providing energy- efficient-lighting skills training for locals and entrepreneurs and monitoring the temperatures and humidity levels in the retro- fitted homes.

In terms of employment, about 36.5-million days of work could be created if these projects were rolled out across the country, which is equivalent to employing more than 165 000 people for a year of work or to employing more people to work for shorter periods. This would also apply to retrofit projects that involve trained local residents, says Rushmere.

“This is a huge opportunity to help generate skills and work, save costs and contribute to the national green economy drive,” she concludes.