1.The Principle and Practical application of the South African National Standards 10440-XA Regulations for Energy Efficiency in buildings.In November 2011 the SANS 10400-XA National Building Regulations document was published, introducing compulsory and deemed-to-satisfy energy-saving regulations.Although widely-acclaimed, it also presents challenges for undertrained Municipalities and cost-sensitive clients.It presents the same challenges to any Architect who wants to design Green, with initial growing pains and getting used to, but soon it becomes the norm and surely it becomes clear that its the new smart way of thinking.All the normal Green thinking must be applied, but with large jumps in energy efficiency in other areas that truly forces investors and the built environment to think twice about how things happen.2.The General Misperception of Building Green in South Africa.In South Africa its not only within the investor circles that the perception of Building Green is tainted, but also between professional consultants.We tend to follow the path of least resistance and resist trying to understand why we need to do things differently, even if it results in a more sustainable solution.Changing our approach as consultants then becomes a necessity, in order to help other people understand, and believe why the change in perception and approach is necessary.This paper will address the application of the new building regulations, and will attempt to sketch the path that we as professionals have to follow in order to bring the change we all seek.