The innovation that has been working for some years in aiding cost-effective, simple and fast certification of the residential green building sector was unveiled last Friday.
In a breakthrough in the South African market, Edge (Excellence In Design For Greater Efficiencies), an International Finance Corporation- (IFC-) developed software-based green building certification system, aims to assist developers and financiers to capitalise on the value of certified green homes.
IFC South Africa Edge programme lead Lenore Cairncross said that there is a solid business case for developers, investors, financial institutions and potential home owners to invest in green residential buildings.
At the early developmental stage, the Edge software allows designers to assess resource efficiency levels during the design and construction of new homes, of various enegy and water saving options and alternative materials.
Edge certification could also enable financial institutions to structure “green mortgage” finance options for homebuyers, which, in turn, could incentivise consumer uptake of green homes, as it will be more cost-effective in terms of energy and water use.
Partnered with the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA), which, together with World Bank Group, brought the Edge programme to South Africa in 2014, Edge aims to make it faster, easier and more affordable to “build and brand green”, exposing the opportunities available to build green buildings at minimal extra cost.
GBCSA is currently embarking on a new campaign to showcase the benefits of “smart” Edge-certified homes to accelerate awareness of both the business and consumer case for green homes.
Various property developers on Friday also spoke about their commitment to going beyond the international standards set by Edge.
Edge currently operates across 130 countries.
