Cape Town City and the Western Cape provincial government are leading the way with energy aware initiatives. The Cape Town CBD Energy Initiative aims to help business move away from current 'inefficiency' and help them reduce their energy bills and their vulnerability.

The City accepts that local government has a crucial role to play, within its Energy and Climate Change Strategy. As a first step, the City will publish a solar water heater bylaw, and has been working since 2007 with experts and interested parties on moves towards 'green' buildings. At provincial level, solar geysers have been installed at Riversdale, Nyanga, Elsies River and Atlantis.

Government calculates that the installation of 1000 geysers will save 500MW. Working on the assumption that the effects of climate change and energy price increases will impinge most severely on the poorer sectors of the community, the provincial government also sees the geyser project as contributing to poverty alleviation.