Given the threat of both an energy and water crisis, there is an increased incentive for the private sector to “go green”, with government also looking to increase the energy efficiency incentives on offer.

“Support for green initiatives was stated in the Budget speech, but I believe that businesses still find themselves in an uncertain position as to what it is they’re supposed to do,” says Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) CEO Brian Wilkinson.

He adds that the possibility of incentives for greater efficiency will encourage more green building initiatives. However, there needs to be a clear measure of efficiencies for government to confidently and consistently award these incentives.

Businesses, he argues, will now more than ever before be looking for solutions to bring about reductions in operation and facilities management costs in light of State-owned entity Eskom’s recent announcement that it would be appealing for additional tariff increases.

“‘Green’ has become a new buzz word with many businesses and service providers claiming to be sustainable in their offering and operations. This focus on green building has demonstrated the need for a rigorous, standardised system that rates just how green projects are, with tangible results to back up these claims,” he says.

He notes that, this system is already in place through the GBCSA’s Green Star South Africa (SA) rating tools.

“With these tools, we can not only guarantee that businesses live up to their green building claims, but also assist with their endeavours to minimise their carbon footprint,” Wilkinson points out.

He says that, with happier, healthier employees and evidence of significantly reduced operations and maintenance costs at greener buildings, the benefits of a Green Star SA rating are extensive.

Building owners looking to achieve a Green Star SA rating can, together with their green building consultant, submit the necessary documentation to the GBCSA.

“Independent assessors are employed to evaluate submissions and allocate points based on the green measures that have been implemented. Certification is awarded for 4-Star, 5-Star or 6-Star Green Star SA ratings,” Wilkinson explains.

Office, retail, multi-unit residential, public and education buildings, as well as existing commercial buildings, are all catered for by rating tools designed specifically for the various projects. The GBCSA also recently introduced a Green Star SA Interiors tool which focuses primarily on efficient maintenance and operations of interior fit-outs and caters for a broad range of tenancies, including office, retail and hospitality projects.

“With this tool, the tenants have all the power, allowing each tenant to have their own unique environmental design initiatives fairly and independently benchmarked. It rewards healthy, productive places [in which] to work, which are less costly to operate and maintain and have a reduced environmental footprint,” he says.

For existing buildings, the Green Star SA – Existing Building Performance (EBP) tool covers the same environmental categories addressed in the Green Star SA new building tools but also focuses on the efficient operations and management of the building. This rating is only valid for a period of three years to ensure the building is continually well operated and maintained, and energy and water monitoring, management policies and plans are mandatory.