City-Level Decoupling-Case Studies

• Hygiene had improved with the availability of piped hot water;

• The equivalent of 6,580 tons of carbon was saved each year through the decrease in fossil fuel use and greater reliance on renewable energy;

• The switch from imported SWHs to locally-made models has helped to build the local economy and create jobs

Successes and failures

Critical to the success of the project has been the community’s acceptance and engagement with the energy service installations. From the planning stage, the community was actively included in the project and was able to give input. 261 The creation of sustainable ceiling and SWH businesses and tour guiding work, as well as the small monthly levy paid by each household, sees community members personally invested in the project. There is a marked pride in the development, and a belief that it has brought the people dignity. 262 The ongoing educational support and training of workers, and access to a project manager on-site in Kuyasa have also been valuable contributors to success. The project’s challenges have predominantly been financial, with a lack of available capital and low priority in the spending of public finance. 263 Although accumulating approximately R1 million (approximately US$113,000) worth of carbon reduction certificates (CERs) per year, the project has not yet sold any CERs, preferring to wait for a better Euro-Rand exchange rate and an increase in demand for the certificates to improve financial gains. 264 However, the implementation of a creative financing model utilising the CDM has perhaps been the project’s most significant success. In future, the model will be used by the proposed National Sustainable Settlements Facility (NSSF) to give developers access to carbon funds to cover the additional costs of installing and maintaining efficient energy services in all subsidised housing. 265 Though socio-economic development goals are being reached successfully, the ecological impact to date has been limited. Winkler points out that carbon emission reductions for the Kuyasa project will be relatively small, totalling just under 365,000 t over 21 years for Phase 1 (2,309 households) and Phase 2 (4,000 households) of the project combined. 266 However, should this pilot project blossom into a public programme through the NSSF, carbon emission reductions could be in the region of 6 million t per year. 267 The daily lives of Kuyasa residents have been improved by the CDM project. Their strong sense of ownership and responsibility for the installations has been critical to its success, and the considered inclusion of the community from the very beginning has encouraged them to actively invest their time and money in the project. The broader impact on the design policy for low-income housing has the potential to spread the socio-economic and ecological benefits to other areas of South Africa. Conclusion

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