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This presentation provides an overview of the current technical norms and standards for the housing subsidy market, including details of the revision project, SCCCA standards, and the unification of norms and standards.
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Presentation to the Select Committee on Public Services Unification of standards for construction, house sizes, electrification and energy efficient standards
Purpose To present the current status regarding technical norms and standards for the housing subsidy market; To present the details of the revision to the standards that was undertaken to date; To reflect on the SCCCA standards; and To confirm the current status of the revision project
Presentation outline The legislative environment and provisions; The current norms and standards; The Variation Manual; The SCCCA details; The revision project details and cost; The current status of the revised standards; and Unification of norms and standards
1. Legislative Provisions Section 3(2) of the Housing Act, 1997: The Minister must (a) determine national policy, including national norms and standards in respect of housing development; Such norms and standards were instituted by the Minister of Housing in December 1998; All houses constructed after December 1998 must comply with these standards, whether rural, urban or peri-urban.
1. Legislative Provisions In addition to the Ministerial Norms and Standards, all houses must be enrolled with the NHBRC; All houses must comply with the building standards imposed by the NHBRC; All construction is furthermore subject to building plan approval by municipalities and building standards imposed by municipal by-laws.
2. The current Norms and standards The current norms and standards were revised in 2007 and these currently apply: Services-
2. Standard for services The water and sanitation services differ in rural areas where normal township development is not an option. Services in such areas are referred to as being off-grid services, thus onsite sustainable solutions approved by the MEC and beneficiaries. Services in urban areas are mostly linked to reticulation services of the municipality.
2. Standards for the houses • The minimum size of the house is 40 square metres of gross floor area. • Each house as a minimum must consist of: • Two bedrooms; • A separate internal bathroom with a toilet, a shower and hand basin; • A combined living area and kitchen with wash basin; and • A ready board electrical installation where electricity supply in the township is available.
2. Norms and Standards The aforementioned present minimum standards; The standards at project level may exceed these but may never be less; Any deviations to lesser norms and standards represent inconsistency with the legislative prescripts and ultimately unauthorised expenditure; and The subsidy costing is based on the minimum standards.
3. What variations apply To cater for extraordinary development conditions, a subsidy variation mechanism was introduced- The Variation Manual; This Manual provides for a comprehensive tool to adjust the subsidy amount to cater for precautionary measures to ensure quality products in all areas; It is supported by an automatic cost calculator; and All precautionary measures must be certified by a suitably qualified professional.
What variations apply? • The following variations may be applied for:
3. Variations The most prominent and controversial variation pertains to the Southern Cape Coastal Condensation Area variation (SCCCA)
4. What is the SCCCA It is a demarcated area with a high winter rainfall combined with low temperatures; Within this area the internal temperature of a dwelling could drop to below the external temperature; In such circumstances condensation will accumulate on the internal walls of the dwelling, rendering the walls wet; These conditions are ideal for Mildew growth which could harbor life threatening bacteria; Mildew is a white powdery appearance on a wall.
4. The affected area The SCCCA commences just above Cape Town and is located south on the West Coast of the Western Cape, all along the Southern Cape coastal belt up into the Eastern Cape coastal region to just North of Bathurst The area was first define and later adjusted based on scientific surveys and temperature measurement. The CSIR was requested to assist with the demarcation of the area; and The adjusted area is mainly bordered by the mountain ranges in the affected area.
4. The Area The Housing Code contains a list of all the towns on the line of the demarcated area and the towns within the demarcated area; To ensure that the subsidy financed houses constructed within the SCCCA are projected from mildew growth, The CSIR designed special precautionary measures for the dwellings; These measures are:
4. The Precautionary Measures The installation of a ceiling; The installation of above ceiling glass fiber insulation with a required air gap; and The plastering of the external walls of the dwelling. To finance these additional items, the Variation Manual was adjusted to define the measures and the additional cost which may be added to each subsidy to cover the cost.
4. The Cost • The cost of the precautionary measures is as follows: • The ceiling installation: R 5 336,97 • The glass fiber insulation: R 1 595,23 • The plastering of the external walls: R 4 811,14 • Total amount R11 743,34 • Plus professional fees R 1 174,33 • Total amount availableR12 917,68
4. The Cost The subsidy amount in respect of each house is therefore increased by R12 917,68 to fund the precautionary measures; The SCCCA variation does not affect the funding available for the other standard precautionary measures such as geotechnical conditions, dolomite, sand and/or collapsing soil.
5. The new norms and standards The Department has finalised new norms and standards for energy efficient dwellings; The new NBR- SANS 10400 XA prescribe basically the same measures as applicable to the SCCCA for the whole country. External plastering and painting for the SCCCA houses will remain.
5. The new norms and standards • The Cost is estimated at R16 636,00 and entails the following: • Ceiling installation; • Insulation above the ceiling (130mm glass fiber); • Plastering of internal walls and rendering on external walls; and • Window sizes and special glazing.
The new norms and standards The Department also determined the cost of a full electrical installation for each house as opposed to the current ready-board provision; The cost amounts to R7 943,00; If the subsidy houses are to comply with the NBR and we upgrade the electrical installation the total projected cost of the new product is R110 947,00 as apposed to the current subsidy of R64 666,00
5. The new Norms and standards Scenario development on the cost aspects were done and the following was found.
6. The current status of the revised standards These options were presented to MINMEC; MINMEC decided not to approve the revised norms and standards; Some municipalities have already refused to approve new housing subsidy house building plans; and The NHBRC will not enroll houses which are inconsistent with the NBR.
7. Unification of norms and standards It is important that the norms for infrastructure is standardised; This also applies to the USDG application; MIG funding for bulk and connector services has its own set of criteria which may differ from the criteria applicable to the subsidy scheme; The Subsidy Scheme standards are however consistent with other sector Departments standards, eg. for water and sanitation; Flexibility is important to ensure local circumstances are accommodated.
7. Unification of norms and standards Rural areas may differ in that the services in many instances are “off grid” and on site solutions; In urban areas where dense development are applied VIPs are not feasible and thus not provided; and The house standards remains equally applicable.
