The deadline for qualifying buildings to obtain and display an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) was 7 December 2025. Many buildings have registered, but many have not, and the Department of Electricity and Energy (DEE) has now outlined how it intends to move from encouragement to enforcement.
Who must comply?
The regulations apply to non-residential buildings in specific occupancy classes, entertainment and public assembly (A1), theatrical and indoor sport (A2), places of instruction (A3) and offices (G1), where the net floor area is 1 000 m² or more for state-owned buildings, or 2 000 m² or more for privately owned buildings.
How enforcement is expected to work
The proposed framework escalates in stages over roughly twelve months:
- non-compliance notices to building owners;
- acknowledgement by the owner and a compulsory EPC compliance plan;
- municipal partnerships for inspections and monitoring;
- public listing of buildings that remain non-compliant; and
- prosecution under the National Energy Act as a last resort.
Offences under the National Energy Act can carry fines of up to R5 million, imprisonment of up to five years, or both. Members of the public and EPC professionals can also report buildings they believe are non-compliant.
What you should do now
- Confirm whether your building falls within the occupancy classes and floor-area thresholds.
- Gather 12 months of electricity (and other energy) bills and your building plans or floor-area records.
- Appoint a registered EPC professional to assess the building and issue the certificate, which is submitted to SANEDI’s national register.
- Display the certificate at the main entrance, and use the assessment to find practical energy savings.
An EPC is more than a compliance exercise. The same assessment shows where your building wastes energy and money, which matters even more as electricity tariffs keep rising.
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