The University of Cape Town had clear, institution-level plans in 2024 to upgrade existing buildings to higher energy-efficiency standards, embedded within its green-building construction policy, it’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy and the general standard operating procedures for maintenance. In 2023 UCT’s Council updated its Minimum Green Building Construction Standard to extend mandatory green-building requirements to major refurbishments (refurbishments above a stated financial threshold) and to set explicit energy-efficiency targets; UCT then implemented these standards in practice through flagship projects (for example, the d-School Afrika, which received a 6-Star Green Star rating in 2024). The green-building policy explicitly brings refurbishments into scope and signals an institutional commitment to upgrade existing stock to meet higher energy and water performance criteria.

UCT’s operational plans as part of the standard operating procedures provides the delivery vehicle for minor retrofits and efficiency upgrades across campus over the years, including 2024. 

Concrete examples and technical work in 2024 further verify UCT’s retrofit planning. UCT has a documented history of carrying out energy audits and converting inefficient systems (for example, the conversion of electric hot-water boilers in residences to heat-pump systems) and, as part of its 2020–2024 planning, commissioned building-level energy studies and feasibility work to prioritise retrofits and on-site generation. The HW Pearson green retrofit is another example of an entire building that had energy efficient lighting and HVAC systems installed in 2024, replacing old inefficient systems. UCT also participates in national energy-performance frameworks (EPC regimes) and has pursued metering and building verification as part of its wider energy efficiency and decarbonisation plans. Together these items show that UCT’s 2024 posture was not merely aspirational but included concrete retrofit planning, auditing and demonstration projects.

Finally, UCT’s public communications in 2024 make clear that retrofit action would be implemented alongside new-build standards and monitored through living-lab evaluation and Green Star verification. The d-School Afrika’s repeated Green Star awards in 2023–2024 serve both as proof of high-performance practice and as an exemplar for retrofitting and upgrading other campus buildings, as well as various other 4 Star rated UCT green buildings; UCT’s public roadmap and sustainable-campus materials portray a staged programme of energy-efficiency upgrades, metering, and performance verification that together constitute an institutional plan to raise the energy performance of existing buildings.