Wynand Deyzel, Commercial Sales Manager at Solenco
South Africa’s Climate Change Act (2024) is reshaping how every business accounts for emissions, with large industrial emitters under the spotlight. But for more SMEs, the reality is different. They don’t control Eskom, the grid, or the weather. What they can control is what happens inside their own four walls whether that be in the factory, workshop, office, or retail space. That’s where the biggest opportunity lies. Climate change policy may start with carbon, but resilience begins with air. Real compliance starts inside your building.
Energy efficiency often dominates the conversation, yet one of the biggest unseen drivers of inefficiency is humidity. When indoor air is not controlled, HVAC systems have to work harder, consuming more electricity, increasing costs, and shortening equipment lifespan. That wasted energy indirectly adds to emission, which in turn contributes to the very climate pressures businesses are trying to adapt to.
Many businesses still underestimate the importance of this. They react when compliance deadlines arrive or when breakouts happen. Proactive management of the internal environment with factors like temperature, humidity, and ventilation, directly supports resilience, energy saving and healthier workplaces.
For a medium-sized business owner, compliance is no longer just about ticking a regulatory box. It’s about protecting productivity, margins, and uptime. The sooner these measures are in place, the sooner they start paying back through lower electricity bills, fewer breakdowns, and improved comfort for staff and customers.
Dehumidification and humidification systems that enable HVAC units to operate efficiently turn compliance into a competitive edge. They lower running costs, extend system life, and help businesses demonstrate measurable climate action not through massive investments, but through smarter control of what’s already theirs.