New Efficiency report reveals lean financial practice in Western Cape govt offices

The new report of property use efficiency, the 14th annual report of its kind, revealed that the Western Cape government is keeping ahead of not only the national government, but also the private sector, in its efficient use of floor space and utilities.

The sample study was based on 37 offices covering 196,853 m2, 22 health facilities covering 774,530 m2, and 45 educational facilities, covering 294,946 m2 of educational facilities.

In the sample, costs fell by 8.8% in office spaces, though electricity consumption rose by 6.6%. That said, the provincial government beat the private sector consumption average of 240 kWh/m2/per annum by more than half, at 113 kWh/m2/per annum, and the City by an even greater margin, at 93.

As for water consumption, the provincial government has beat private sector benchmarks by using 0.58 kL/m2/per annum, compared to the private sector figure of 0.73 kL/m2/per annum

Average space for each full-time employee over the last three years at the provincial level has sat at 19 m2/desk, while in the City it has fallen from 16 m2 to a mere 14 m2.

This has helped the government’s drive to obtain Energy performance certificates (EPCs) obtained for 1,200 WC govt buildings over the next three years, with 115 buildings in the City having already been certified.