Deputy Minister Samantha Graham-Maré on final week to register your large building for Energy Performance Certificate

As we enter December, I wish to implore owners of large public and private buildings to register for an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). As of today, 6 days are left to obtain this critical document. This is in anticipation of the 7 December 2025 deadline.

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, 8732 buildings have been registered, and 4841 EPCs have been issued until 28 November 2025. Of these, Gauteng leads with 3107 registrations and 2037 issued EPCs. The Western Cape follows with 2465 registrations and 1965 issued EPCs. The Northern Cape has the fewest, with 83 registrations and 25 EPCs issued.

Buildings registered and issued EPCs in other provinces are:

• Kwa-Zulu Natal 1146 and 383
• Eastern Cape 560 and 136
• Mpumalanga 358 and 76
• Free State 647 and 106
• Limpopo 177 and 54
• North West 142 and 46

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 1000m² and owners of commercial buildings of 2000m² 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 07 December 2025.

The purpose of EPCs:

• Indicates the energy performance of a building,
• Serve 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, and
• 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.

As a reminder, the deadline will not be extended. The responsibility lies with owners to comply with the law. The immediate and long-term benefits are substantial: a reduction in the carbon footprint, lower costs for building owners, and a direct contribution to energy security. We want to ensure no owner ends up facing avoidable and unnecessary penalties. In due course, we will inform those who have registered but lack an EPC and those who have not registered at all about the next steps.

More information on EPCs may be obtained at https://epc.sanedi.org.za/home

For media enquiries:
Marcellino Martin, Media Liaison in the Office of the Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy 
Cell: 082 721 3362
E-mail: Marcellino.martin@dee.gov.za

Tsakane Khambane, Spokesperson in the Ministry of Electricity and Energy 
Cell: 082 084 5566 
E-mail: Tsakane.Khambane@dee.gov.za

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