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The Kuyasa CDM Pilot Project involves the retrofitting of solar water heater (SWHs), insulated ceilings and energy efficient lighting in over 2 300 low-cost homes in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa. The project will see an immediate impact on the social, health and economic well-being of the targeted beneficiaries.

Kuyasa is South Africa’s first internationally registered Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and was the first Gold Standard Project to be registered in the world. The project has generated substantial interest locally and internationally as a pilot for the energy-efficient adaptation of South African low-cost housing..

The Kuyasa project was developed by the nongovernmental organisation (NGO) SouthSouthNorth (SSN) for the City of Cape Town’s Environmental Resource Management Department and Urban Renewal Programme. Ten pilot houses were adapted 6 years ago, providing the practical data for an efficiency measuring system.

Now, with funding from the Department of Environment and Tourism's (DEAT's), Social Responsibility Programme and Provincial Government’s Department of Housing, the retrofitting of 2,300 houses started in August 2008 and is scheduled to be completed within the next 12 months.