energy efficiency in low-income housing

Ten South African projects have been approved by the global CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) body under the Kyoto Protocol. Most CDM projects in South Africa and globally tend to be for biofuels or other fuel switching projects, so I was interested in seeing the Kuyasa housing project in Khayelitsha make the list.

The R95 million project consists of the upgrade of 2400 houses to improve energy efficiency. As an upgrade of standard RDP houses, there is no use of low-carbon building materials. Nevertheless Vienna-based Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) has chosen Kuyasa as a model project for national replication, and hopes to address the barrier of home financing for low income communities.

The Kuyasa Project, which created significant energy savings through the installation of insulated ceilings, solar water heaters and energy efficient lighting in low income homes, achieved international recognition in 2004 when it was awarded Point Carbon's Best CDM Project at the Carbon Market Insights Conference in Amsterdam. The project has been so successful that it was the first to qualify for the WWF’s CDM Gold Standard.

Monitoring of the pilot phase of the project showed measurable improvements in indoor temperatures, and each house is expected to produce emissions reductions of 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per year through electricity savings.