Environmental Sustainability &
Energy Usage in Buildings-Part X & XA
In 2011, in an endeavour to make our buildings more sustainable, and to decrease energy usage in South Africa, a new part was added to SANS 10400, The application of the National Building Regulations. Part X deals with environmental sustainability, and Part XA deals with energy usage in buildings.
In many ways these new regulations have turned the building industry upside down, but not in a bad way. However for the average man-in-the-street it has become a puzzle of note. Every week we get people writing into this web site asking for advice and information about the “new energy laws” and how they affect their building and renovations.
On the down side, it seems that new regulations have opened up a can of worms that has less-than-knowledgable people (and some scamsters) flippantly quoting “the new green laws” in an effort to force people to spend more money than they need to on energy-efficient materials, appliances and the like. While there is no doubt that we need to “go green” and get our act together (pun intended) in terms of energy efficient building, it is also important to know the difference between what we should do, and what we must do to comply with the National Building Regulations and other national standards.
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What the National Building Regulations and
Building Standards Act Says
While the Act was originally passed in 1977 (officially it’s Act 103 of 1977), a number of amendments have been added to it over time. In 2011, Rob Davies, the Minister of Trade and Industry added the sections that relate to environmental sustainability and to energy usage in buildings.
The motivation for this amendment is to reduce greenhouse gases caused by buildings and extensions to buildings. These relate to a number of specific occupancies that are defined in Part A of SANS 10400, namely:
- A1 – Entertainment and public assembly Occupancy where persons gather to eat, drink, dance or participate in other recreation.
- A2 – Theatrical and indoor sport Occupancy where persons gather for the viewing of theatrical, operatic, orchestral, choral, cinematographical or sport performances.
- A3 – Places of instruction Occupancy where school children, students or other persons assemble for the purpose of tuition or learning.
- A4 – Worship Occupancy where persons assemble for the purpose of worshipping.
- C1 – Exhibition hall Occupancy where goods are displayed primarily for viewing by the public.
- C2 – Museum Occupancy comprising a museum, art gallery or library.
- E1 – Place of detention Occupancy where people are detained for punitive or corrective reasons or because of their mental condition.
- E2 – Hospital Occupancy where people are cared for or treated because of physical or mental disabilities and where they are generally bedridden.
- E4 – Health care Occupancy which is a common place of long term or transient living for a number of unrelated persons consisting of a single unit on its own site who, due to varying degrees of incapacity, are provided with personal care services or are undergoing medical treatment.
- F1 – Large shop Occupancy where merchandise is displayed and offered for sale to the public and the floor area exceeds 250 m2.
- F2 – Small shop Occupancy where merchandise is displayed and offered for sale to the public and the floor area does not exceed 250 m2.
- F3 – Wholesalers’ store Occupancy where goods are displayed and stored and where only a limited selected group of persons is present at any one time.
- G1 – Offices Occupancy comprising offices, banks, consulting rooms and other similar usage.
- H1 – Hotel Occupancy where persons rent furnished rooms, not being dwelling units.
- H2 – Dormitory Occupancy where groups of people are accommodated in one room.
- H3 – Domestic residence Occupancy consisting of two or more dwelling units on a single site.
- H4 – Dwelling house Occupancy consisting of a dwelling unit on its own site, including a garage and other domestic outbuildings, if any.
- H5 – Hospitality Occupancy where unrelated persons rent furnished rooms on a transient basis within a dwelling house or domestic residence with sleeping accommodation for not more than 16 persons within a dwelling unit.
But they specifically EXCLUDE garage and storage areas contained within these specified occupancies, as well as a number of other buildings that are used for commercial, industrial and buildings used exclusively for a variety of storage uses.
The law (because this is part of the Act – not SANS 10400) states that these “occupancies” (types of buildings) must be:
- capable of using energy efficiently while fulfilling user-needs in relation to various things including thermal comfort, lighting and hot water; OR
- have a “building envelope and services” that facilitate the efficient use of energy that is appropriate to the function and use of the building as well as its geographical location and its internal environment.
So it is not a one solution fits all situation. For instance, what works for a house in Durban may not make the same structure energy efficient in Cape Town! In addition, the legislation excludes the “equipment and plant” required for conducting business – if the building is used for business.
Hot Water Heating Requirements
XA2 requires that at least a half – “50% (volume fraction) of the annual average hot water heating requirement shall be provided by means other than electrical resistance heating including but not limited to solar heating, heat pumps, heat recovery from other systems or processes and renewable combustible fuel”.
So you can use a conventional geyser IF you meet the 50% requirement. And if you are renovating, you certainly don’t have to toss all your existing water equipment and go solar – even though there is absolutely no doubt that it’s the way to go.
What is Required
The orientation, shading, services and building envelope must be designed according to SANS 10400 Part XA. Alternatively the rational design of the building must be done by a competent person who “demonstrates that the energy usage of such building is equivalent to or better than that which would have been achieved by compliance with the requirements of SANS XA, or has a theoretical energy usage performance, determined using certified thermal calculation software, less than or equal to that of a reference building in accordance with SANS 10400 Part XA”.
If you’re looking to change jobs, becoming a person competent to specify these requirements is one way to go! It is something that is not easy for someone who hasn’t got the relevant training to get their head around.
What 10400 XA Says
As with all national standards, 10400 XA has a number of definitions, some of which are in the glossary that is part of the Act.
A few of the important definitions that relate to this particular part of the standard are:
- Building envelope Elements of a building that separate a habitable room from the exterior of a building or a garage or storage area
- Competent person Person who is qualified by virtue of his education, training, experience and contextual knowledge to make a determination regarding the performance of a building or part thereof in relation to a functional regulation or to undertake such duties as may be assigned to him in terms of the National Building Regulations
- Fenestration Any glazed opening in a building envelope, including windows, doors and skylights
- Fenestration area Area that includes glazing and framing elements that are fixed or movable, and opaque, translucent or transparent
Requirements of 10400 XA
The requirements of this new national standard cover:
- Hot water supply
- Energy usage and building envelope
- Design assumptions
- Building envelope requirements
The standard also defines the different climatic zones of South Africa.
To be a little more specific, the main centres for each zone are:
- Zone 1 – Johannesburg and Bloemfontein
- Zone 2 – Pretoria and Polokwane
- Zone 3 – Makhado and Nelspruit
- Zone 4 – Cape Town and Port Elizabeth
- Zone 5 – Durban, Richards Bay and East London
- Zone 6 – Kimberley and Upington
Building Envelope Requirements
This is probably the most vital part of the new regulation, and it addresses orientation, floors, external walls, fenestration, and roof assemblies – but not in a lot of detail.
Floors
If any type of underfloor heating system is used in a home, this must be insulated under the concrete slab with insulation that has a minimum R-value of at least 1,0. The R-value is the thermal resistance (square metre K/W) of a component. According to the Standard, it is “the inverse of the time rate of heat flow through a body from one of its bounding surfaces to the other surface for a unit temperature difference between the two surfaces, under steady state conditions, per unit area”.
Roof Assemblies
Any roof assembly must achieve a minimum R-value for the direction of heat flow. This is specified in several tables in the regulations.
Minimum total R-values of roof assemblies
Roofs with metal sheeting affixed to purlins, rafters or battens made of metal are required to have a thermal break that consists of a material with an R-value that is not less than 0,2, and which is installed between the sheeting and the support. In addition, roofing assemblies that utilize metal sheeting must achieve a minimum total R-value that meets the requirements shown in the table above. Insulation must also be installed with an R-value that meets the specified in the table below.
Metal sheeting roof assemblies
Clay tiles used for roofing must achieve a minimum R-value as in the first table above. Insulation should be in accordance with the specifications shown below.
The other standard that you need to know about is
SANS 204 (2011): Energy efficiency in buildings.
(click for preview from SABS Store)
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Why National Building Regulations
Hi Penny
I need some advice please with regards to the roof insulation. My new home is currently being built. On my plan under Roof Assemblies, the R-Value was 0.4. The statement says that 135mm Aerolite Roof insulate is required to get an R-value of 3.78 (minimum is 3.2) to comply with SANS 204. On my building contract no insulation is indicated under Roof section or anywhere else in the contract. Is it mandatory to have roof insulation and if yes, who is now responsible? Neither the building contractor nor their architect indicated or advised on this aspect as part of the NBR. It was only after I saw another contractor installing the aerolite into a house that he was building that prompted me to look into this aspect.
Thanks
Espri
Dan, A new owner can be held responsible for irregularities that occurred prior to purchase of the property. You can though have “as built” plans drawn up and submit these to the local authority. It will be up to them to call for any changes to be made in terms of the new regulations.
The whole property does NOT have to comply with the new regulations. You say prior to the regulations? Which regulations? There have always been regulations of some sort or another. The Building Regulations and Standards Act, along with accompanying SABS “deemed-to-satisfy rules” – originally referred to as a Code of Practice for The application of the National Building Regulations – came into effect in 1977. Prior to that building was done according to the bylaws of the various local authorities (municipalities).
When you talk about “soakpits” what do you mean? In rural areas septic tanks and soakaways were very common until recently. Now conservancy tanks are more usual for properties that are not on mains sewerage. If you have cesspits – those were and still are illegal and would need to be dug up or filled in and replaced.
If the house was originally built legally, changes do not have to be retrospective.
Part A of SANS 10400 states:
“Where an application is made to make an alteration or addition to any building, approval for the erection of which was granted before the date of commencement of the Act –
(a) such alteration shall comply with the requirements of the Act, but consequent changes to any other part of the building which would be necessary in order to make such other part comply with the requirements of the Act shall not be required unless in the opinion of the local authority such consequent changes are necessary to ensure the health or safety of persons using the building in the altered form;”
Your sewerage system may well be perceived by the local authority to be inadequate. But let them inspect it first before your “competent person” makes you dig things up!
hi,
We have recently bought a house and are wanting to alterations on the property, namely, building double garage and extending kitchen area. We seem to be running into endless problems – the previous owners had alterations on the property which were not on plan (prior to the regulations); the property has soakpits and the competent person drawing the plans says that the whole property has to comply with the regulations and new plans are being drafted and the soakpits have to be dug up and investigated.
My question – if we are only making alterations (i.e. building a garage) surely only that alteration has to comply with the new regulations and a new owner surely cannot be held responsible for the previous plans/alterations not being in accordance with the regulations at present (i.e. not retrospective)
Richard there is only one set of building regulations and it applies to all buildings. A body corporate may impose additional regulations of its own. Generally the NBR changes are not applied retrospectively unless there is a major alteration.
Kuveshen, There are two issues here, the building regulations and your contract. While your house must be built according to NBR guidelines, all specifications including things like insulation, should be in your contract – or on the plans which should then be cross-reference in your contract. SO, for example, if standard glazing is specified on the plan, that’s what you will get. I am presuming you didn’t have the plans drawn up. If this is the case you need to find out who drew them and get clarity from that person. In terms of the building regulations the person drawing the plans must be a competent person as defined by law.
Subject:
Domestic Residence Building
Message:
Hi
I’m building a home in a cluster development, and is the first time I’m doing so. There are a number of items which are coming to my attention that I haven’t been fully made aware of or think my Builder
is taking a chance with.
I’ve been requested to pay for Thermal insulation in the roof, which I thought is something that should be building regulation and is at the expense of the Builder rather than me. Likewise, my Geysers are on a slab open, which I would think requires at the very least a thermal blanket. I am going to install
heat pumps at a later stage, but with this being open, I think the energy efficiency is important, and don’t think it would pass building regulation. In terms of glazing, I have been informed that there would
be standard glazing, but someone has indicated that the building standard is 6.38mm laminate for single glazed windows. All my light fittings are to be LED in terms of energy efficiency, and I don’t have
underfloor heating, which I was also informed doesn’t require any insulation unless I do.
Please assist.
Regards
Kuveshen
Subject:
Body corporate building regulations
Message:
Dear Sirs,
I am trying to find out what act or law regulates glass panes in body corporates, is there any way you could assist me?
I also want to know if changes to legislation apply retrospectively?
Thank you for your assistance.
Regards
Richard Baruch
Meinhard, You cannot simply get the regulations amended. You could though contact the SABS in Pretoria and ask who was the main person involved with this particular part of the NBR and approach that person. I assume any objection like this would have to go to the original committee that dew up the regs.
Regulation XA2 discriminate against other renewable enegy resources such as photovoltaic solutions. Simpler more cost effective virtually maintenance free solutions are available.Unfortunately municipalities interperate the generation and heating of water by Photovoltaic as electric resistive heating. I have lots of data on hand to prove that this is safer , economical , on par with thermal solar ,simple installation no plumbing piping , no pumps suitable in any winter conditions ,no freezing.
How do one get these regulations ammended.
Thanks
Hi Penny,
Thanks for the reply. I find most of the bigger metro’s hve implemented SANS 204, however it is the smaller municipalities that are behind in implementation, specifically on regulation XA2, 4.5.2.1 (Hot water) which is the part I am interrested in. I am in the solar water heating industry and most of our agents throughout the country has experienced an uptick in sales because of the new regulation. A few guys however are losing out as a result of it not being implemented in their areas, and of course the bigger reality is that houses gets passed for building that are not contributing to a cleaner, greener environment.
Thanks,
Good point Murray. The trouble is that the municipalities follow the National Building Regulations, but not the unending lists of other SANS that come into play. Just about every section of SANS 10400 cross references at least one A4 page of other standards. I suppose this is left up to the so-called “competent” people who are drawing up the plans and making the specifications.
Clearly you have some link to an energy efficient industry – what is it that you see them ignoring?
Peter, All the National Building Regulations apply to a dome house, however you will also eed an “agrément certificate that confirms fitness-for-purpose of a non-standardized product, material or component or the acceptability of the related non-standardized design and the conditions pertaining thereto (or both) issued by the Board of Agrément South Africa”. These certificates are covered in Part A of SANS 10400, General Principles and Requirements
You need to be qualified as a competent person Nhin. The link I have given you provides more information.
Hi
Where can i get training to become competent in order to sign off SANS 10400X and XA forms for council?
Hello
I am planning to build a dome house. I am not familiar with the South African regulations and want to ask you which ones relate to a dome house. Energy efficiency is one advantage that is easy to obtain with the dome house. I am planning to use a steel structure for the basic structure (i.e. skeleton) and cover that with concrete. I have built many similar strutures in the US but I need to know which South African regulations relate to this type of structure.I plan to use it for permanent living accomodation.
Please tell me which building regulations apply to this type of construction.
Thank you
Hi Penny,
Who is supposed to police the correct implementation of SANS 204? We have found some municipalities still passes plans without consideration for 204.
Thanks!
Bridget there is nothing in XA that even mentions electrical calculations – unless an amendment has been posted that I am not aware of. I suggest that you contact council and ask them to refer you to the specific section of XA that covers this requirement. I’d be very interested to know how they respond. As far as the competent person is concerned, I assume it would need to be a qualified and registered electrician or an electrical engineer. If your primary competent person is an architect that person could organize the competent person to sign whatever documentation is required. I have also looked at SANS 204 (2011) Energy efficiency in buildings and there is nothing about electrical calculations there either. Could it be energy calculations?
Hi Penny
I have plans in council (they were submitted in December 2013) and have just been asked to supply Electrical Calculations for XA – ie an electrical layout plus calculations. Do you know when exactly this become a requirement? If I submitted before it became a requirement does that mean it doesn’t apply to me – i have complied with all the other XA requirements that we knew about before we submitted? Who is the competent person here – the architect? Thanks so much!
This is part of the new XA and Energy Regs.
Hi Nazley, have a look at this page: paja-law-protect-rights. There are two forms that you can download and submit to the council. If your architect has done his job properly then the council must do theirs and supply you with very good reasons why they will not approve your plans. You can also put your architect to terms as there is problem with the professionals interpretation of the new XA regulations and the client must not be made to suffer because of this.
Subject:
Regulations for Windows.
Message:
To whom this may concern,
I have a comment from fire saying “Total area of windows in east elevation of first floor my not exceed 5 square meters” Can you please explain this to me or tel me where I can find this in the building regulations.
Subject:
Hot water supply
Message:
Hi there,
I need some advice please. We bought a property in Struisbaai in 2006.
In 2008 we employed an architect to draw up our plans, with the understanding that we would not immediately walk the plans. However at the end of 2012/start of 2013 we then advised that we are now ready. He then advised us of the new energy efficiency regulation which we then paid for. We asked him in Feb 2013 to walk the plans but for some reason this did not happen. We are now at the stage where the plans has finally been submitted, but the Municipality is advising that the warm water layout has not been done. Initially our architect advised that he did do this, but now he is saying he does not understand what they are asking for. We are now stuck between a rock and a hard place
because we do not understand what is missing from the plan. The architect claims he has included everything that needs to be on it – however, the municipality will not approve then plans because they
claim the warm water layout was not done.
Please could you advise if you have any ideas on how we should proceed. We have already paid the plan fees.
Kind regards,
Nazley de Vos
Kervin if I were you I would get advise from other architects because there seems to be considerable misinterpretation of the new fenestration calculations. I will also see what I can find out, because this is a question that a lot of people are currently asking.
H Derek, The new building regulations SANS 10400XA does address thermal insulation but does not specify thicknesses etc. This would be controlled by the Agrément Board when they approve a company’s thermal product for market. One of the best in SA is Isotherm, I suggest you contact them as they will have specifics on hand for you. Click here: isotherm.co.za
Good Day
I am looking for the NBR in respect of thermal insulation applied to hot water piping. Is there anything stipulated in terms of thickness, heat loss and type of insulation that should be used….???