Energy Efficiency Country Study: Republic of South Africa

Over the last few years, the Republic of South Africa's Government (RSA Gov) has been actively implementing policies to move Energy Efficiency forward. The trigger to this acceleration has been a series of widespread rolling blackouts in 2008 but deeper-rooted reasons have also contributed to this necessity, such as the significant saving potential and the desire to reduce South Africa's impact on climate change. This country study seeks to better understand how incentive programs are being implemented within South Africa. The goal is to provide details on both supporting policy frameworks and program implementation. The first section gives an overview of the energy sector in South Africa; the second section explains the general policy framework and the most important factors involved in energy efficiency in South Africa. The third section provides more insight on the policy framework governing incentive programs development. Finally, the last section offers a description of current programs implemented in the residential sector.