EDGE in South Africa

EDGE is a green building certification system that empowers the South African real estate market to build sustainably. An innovation of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, EDGE makes it faster, easier and more affordable than ever before to build and brand green. The Green Building Council of South Africa can help you to certify your project and quickly increase its marketability.

South Africa is facing an energy and water crisis. Electricity costs continue to mount, and Cape Town narrowly escaped disaster as it faced down a severe water shortage that made news headlines around the world. To take this challenge head on, EDGE shows the opportunity: to construct green buildings for little extra cost while saving customers money.

Now is the time to capitalize on the value of green commercial and residential buildings by promoting the benefits through certification. With EDGE, you can stay at the forefront of the green building trend.

Floor Space
Registered

1,086,023

m²

Floor Space
Preliminary Certified

1,037,319

m²

Floor Space
Final Certification

184,098

m²

CO₂ Savings
Certified

23,338

(tCO₂/year)

Number of
Certified Homes

16,156

Units

EDGE is an opportunity for governments, builders, banks and buyers, especially in South Africa.

Government

South Africa plans to mitigate 614 MtCO₂e by 2030, in part through solar water heaters, solar PVs and energy-efficient lighting.

Builders

The World Green Building Trends 2016 report indicates more than half of South African firms will certify at least 60% of their projects green by 2018.

Banks

The investment potential for green buildings is $7B in the near term, according to IFC’s Climate Investment Opportunities in Emerging Markets.

Buyers

High mortgage rates, high inflation, and high unemployment levels have left homebuyers searching for a solution.

The Green Building Council South Africa is your go-to source for certifying residential projects with EDGE.

EDGE certification in South Africa is provided by the Green Building Council South Africa.

GBCSA is leading the transformation of the South African property industry to ensure that buildings are designed, built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way. GBCSA is the exclusive provider of EDGE certification for homes in South Africa.

Green Building Council of South Africa

Green Building Council South Africa
2nd Floor, The Old Warehouse Building
Black River Office Park, 2 Fir Street, Observatory
Cape Town 7925, South Africa
+27 86 104 2272
Email

Residential Certification Pricing for South Africa:*

Number of Units	Preliminary Certificate Stage	Final Certification Stage	Total
1	R21 200	R21 200	R42 400
2 – 50	R27 850	R49 050	R76 900
51 – 100	R49 050	R49 050	R98 100
101 – 200	R91 450	R49 050	R140 500
201 – 300	R132 500	R49 050	R181 550
301 – 500	R196 100	R49 050	R245 150
501 – 1000	R259 700	R49 050	R308 750
1,001 or more	R386 900	R49 050	R435 950

^*Discounts are available for members of Green Building Council South Africa and can be found on their website. Hiring an auditor is required and is in addition to the cost of registration and certification.

Case Study: RPP’s Candlewood Crescent Certifies Nearly 200 Homes for Under 2% More on Average

In addition to the case study below, Madulammoho Housing Association developed the 630 affordable homes of Belhar Gardens, which brought 21,866 square meters of certified housing space to the Cape Town market.

Type	Size	Energy Solutions	Water Solutions	Extra Cost Per Unit
2 bed, 1 bath	46m²	Reduced WWR, Reflective Paint, High-Performance Glass, Natural Ventilation, Heat Pumps, Energy-Efficient Lighting Systems, Smart Meters	Low-Flow Showerheads, Low-Flow Faucets for Kitchens and Baths, Dual-Flush Toilets	R 8650
2 bed, 2 bath	75m²	Roof Insulation, Natural Ventilation, Energy-Efficient Lighting Systems, Smart Meters	Low-Flow Showerheads, Low-Flow Faucets for Kitchens and Baths, Dual-Flush Toilets	R 6610
2 bed, 1 bath	66m²	Roof Insulation, Natural Ventilation, Energy-Efficient Lighting Systems, Smart Meters	Low-Flow Showerheads, Low-Flow Faucets for Kitchens and Baths, Dual-Flush Toilets	R 5360

Costing study developed by International Housing Solutions (IHS), a South African private equity firm focused on the development of low-cost housing.

Find out how affordable it is to certify your commercial projects in South Africa with our premier service providers.

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and thinkstep-SGS are the providers of EDGE certification services for commercial projects in South Africa. Learn more about GBCI and thinkstep-SGS, and view their certification rates to see how they would apply to one of your upcoming commercial projects:

GBCI is the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally through rating systems such as LEED, WELL, GRESB, SITES, PEER and EDGE.

thinkstep and SGS collaborate to set the global benchmark for quality and integrity as providers of independent oversight for professional credentialing and project certification programs, including EDGE.

GBCI

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
2101 L Street NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20037
+1 202 828 1145
Email

thinkstep-SGS

thinkstep-SGS
The thinkstep-SGS consortium has offices in nearly every country in the world. Get in touch with their global team by phone or email.
+44 203 473 8758
Email

GBCI Certification Pricing for Commercial Buildings:*

Register all the buildings at your site now for one low fee of $300.

Registration
Per Project Site: $300

By choosing to work with GBCI you are able to select and contract your own local EDGE Auditor from our list. Competitive pricing and the potential to save on travel costs make EDGE certification even more affordable. Calculate your certification fee for each building based on its floor area (excluding parking).

Certification	Price (per square meter, excluding parking)	Minimum
0-25,000 FLOOR AREA (SQM)	$0.27	$2,250
25,000-50,000 FLOOR AREA (SQM)	$0.22	$6,750
> 50,000 FLOOR AREA (SQM)	—	$11,000 Flat Fee

^*Certification pricing includes both design and construction stages. Note that hiring a local auditor is required and is in addition to the cost of certification. View the contact list of GBCI-trained EDGE Auditors and reach out for a competitive quote. GBCI can also assign an Auditor for your project if you wish. Contact GBCI for custom pricing if you have multiple buildings or any single building that is over 75,000 square meters.

thinkstep-SGS Certification Pricing for Commercial Buildings:*

Register your project with thinkstep-SGS for $300. thinkstep-SGS provides a complete “one-stop-shop” for EDGE certification, supporting clients from assessment straight through to final certification.

Registration
Per Project Site: $300

The fees below represent the total cost for a standard project, including travel and other ancillary expenses. A discount applies if there is an EDGE Expert on the project team, or for multiple project registrations. Basic assessment support can also be provided by an EDGE Expert Partner at no additional cost.

Project Type	Certification	Design Audit	Final Audit	Total
Commercial (buildings with a single-end use, including hotels, retail, offices, and hospitals).	$2,400	$4,000	$4,000	$10,400

^*For multi-use buildings and/or complex projects with multiple buildings or phases, contact edge@thinkstep.com for custom pricing.

Certify your project in three easy steps with the EDGE App.

1. Register

Create your project, receive a quote, and send the required payment.

2. Submit

Upload compliance documentation and submit your project.

3. Certify

Win certification to better market your project to customers.

Understand the exact cost of certification in advance.

EDGE green building certification has two stages: design and construction. Each stage mirrors the other, except that a site audit is required at the construction stage. Upon completion of the design stage, a preliminary EDGE certificate is awarded, which enables marketability of your project with the EDGE brand. Upon completion of the construction stage, a final EDGE certificate is awarded. The cost of certification covers both stages. If your project is already built, only the construction stage of certification is required.

The first step towards certification is to create your project within the EDGE App. While it’s possible to calculate a rough estimate from the pricing chart, you may wish to receive a quote for a precise figure before entering your project within EDGE. You can also find a local EDGE Expert to help you to choose the most cost-effective green options.

For more detailed questions regarding residential certification in South Africa, email the Green Building Council South Africa. For commercial certification, email either GBCI and/or thinkstep-SGS.

Get a Quote

Consider hiring an EDGE Expert for your project.

You may wish to hire an EDGE Expert depending on the size and complexity of your project and whether you are new to EDGE. EDGE Experts are trained and accredited professionals who provide advice on green design and help prepare your project’s application for certification. They are your go-to resource for your project team to better understand the EDGE software, standard and certification system.

To find your EDGE Expert today, visit EDGE Experts Around the World.

Note that hiring an EDGE Expert is not a requirement for EDGE certification.

Discover how others are designing and building green with EDGE.

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