Kenya property owners face Sh1m fine as energy regulator vets houses flouting solar heating rules

david nganga

May 10, 2018 4:40 PM

The directive affects domestic houses, colleges, boarding schools as well as restaurants

Kenyas Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has began inspecting buildings across the country to check for compliance with solar heating rules.

This follows lapse of a deadline that requires premises with hot water requirements of more than 100 litres per day to be fitted with solar heating systems.

“The commission is currently carrying out surveillance visits on buildings under construction and random spot checks on existing premises,” ERC director-general Pavel Oimeke said in a notice.

The regulations stipulate that property developers risk a year in prison or a Ksh1,000,000 ($10,000) fine and their buildings being denied national grid electricity for failure to comply.

Clean energy

The directive is part of Kenya's plan to drive the use of clean energy and reducing reliance on hydro and thermal energy.

The affected include domestic houses with at least three bedrooms, colleges and boarding schools with 20 or more students and hotels, hostels and lodges with at least four beds.

Others are restaurants that serve at least 20 meals a day and laundries that handle more than 20kgs of clothes.

The ERC had earlier indicated its intention to extend the deadline for the second time to May 25 to give property owners ample time for compliance but no gazette notice was published to that effect.

david nganga