IMPUMELELO INNOVATIONS: Kuyasa CDM Pilot Project

The Kuyasa Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Pilot Project model can help the South African government provide housing with dignity while helping the urban poor reduce their carbon footprint and saving residents money. Kuyasa is at the forefront of sustainable development as South Africa's first registered CDM project under the Kyoto Protocol and the world's first registered Gold Standard Project. uyasa provided 85 local people from Khayelitsha with accredited training. They were employed to retrofit 2 300 low-cost homes with solar water heaters, insulated ceilings and energy-efficient lighting. As an environmental intervention, Kuyasa garners impressive results: 2,85 tons of C02 emissions are being reduced per household annually, which amounts to a total reduction of 6 000 C02 tons every year. Through the process, Kuyasa has created advocates for climate change awareness by empowering a community (over 10 000) through environmental education. After Kuyasa's retrofitting, 76% of households targeted reported a decrease in respiratory illness after a baseline survey was conducted in 2009. Not only has the health of residents improved, but they no longer need to burn paraffin heaters. Residents laud the effects of the increased comfort with homes now being 5% warmer in winter and 5% cooler in summer. An absence of paraffin stoves also makes homes safer for children and the elderly. There are economic benefits for residents by eliminating the need to burn paraffin for warmth and boil kettles for hot water. Kuyasa's beneficiaries attest to a saving of R50 a month on electricity in addition to a 56% decrease in the number of homes spending more than R100 a month on electricity. Particularly during winter, residents in more affluent homes save up to R400 per month. Furthermore, Kuyasa's CDM mechanism allows it to earn about R1 million annually, which is put towards the maintenance, repair and replacement of the technologies installed.

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