Ready, steady, go green!

WORDS Debbie Loots

It’s World Environment Day today and we’re tuning into the eco-friendly vibes all around by popping in to check out the home of Cape Town’s Ngewana family. Their double-storey Pinelands house was selected by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) to be retrofitted for the My Green Home Challenge, and we wanted to know all about it.

Be honest, it’s not easy for your average professional family to turn their living habits to green, and we’re not just talking about saving money by switching off lights and using less water, although it is a good start. It’s about a mind shift as much as it is about revisiting the types of appliances and fittings we use in our homes every day.

Ask the Mother City’s Ngewana family, they know. Selected from nationwide submissions as the lucky recipients of a green retrofit home makeover, they have started, and will continue over the next few months, to share their highs and lows, their growing green awareness and tips on also turning everybody else’s good eco intentions into sustainable reality.

A GBCSA initiative, supported by the South African-German Energy programme (SAGEN) and Eskom’s 49M, the My Green Home Challenge’s main focus is on saving energy, but other issues such as water and waste will also be addressed during the project.

Bulelwa, the mom of the Ngewana family of five, and CEO of the Cape Town Partnership, says: “We’ve always had good intentions, but haven’t been sure about where to start. So we’re taking on the My Green Home challenge, and we’ll be getting help with training and a sponsored green ‘makeover’.”

The family’s journey of change, stretching over seven months, started in February this year. First up was the installation of electricity and water meters all over the house to measure their energy usage. Then, they went about their usual daily business while consumption was being assessed. They were also shown how to implement simple ways to save energy without cost, like only ironing those clothing items that really require ironing, and cutting on leisurely hot baths.

By May, it was big retrofit time and their double-storey house was kitted out from top to toe, inside and outside with energy-efficient technology and earth-friendly products. From June, renewable energy has been added – solar photovoltaic roof panels will partly generate their electricity needs.

Want to know how the Ngewana family is doing, what they have learnt and what useful tips and advice they have? Want a chance to win a range of great green prizes and the ultimate green home makeover of your own? It’s as easy as following the family’s progress until the end of August on mygreenhome.org.za and on Twitter @mygreenhomesa.