Summary The aim of the case study is to investigate the possibilities of creating a sustainable house within the Renewal Development Programme (RDP) housing projects of South Africa (SA). RDP-houses are built by the municipalities of SA on order as well as on subsidy grant of the National Government of SA. A household can apply for three different kind of subsidies from the municipalities within the Assistance to the Poor (ATTP); house, electricity and water (tap and sewage including services). The aim of the case study is to set up an economic cost specification for the price of building a sustainable RDP-house; including a water tank for rainwater harvesting, Solar Water Heater (S WH) geyser (for heating up warm water). The house will also include; LED-lighting, gas stove, separated toilets ( urine, faeces ), compost of food, a small private garden as well as a separated agricultural plot for a community with e.g. 100 households. The cost of the house will be compared to the cost ofthe RDP-houses that are built today (fixed total subsidy: R70555). Thereafter follows an investigation of the ecological footprint, over a 15 year period, to compare the two different RDP-house options. The aim is to create a sustainable house that can be more self sufficient and sustainable; in terms of the energy use and in terms of self sufficiency based on food securi ty. Although not an economical difference for the people living in the house, but instead for the municipality and by that even for the government, it will indeed be an ecological difference for the user, the municipality as well as for the environment ofthe world. Since the houses, electricity and water is handed out for free to a certain group of the poor population of SA, the municipalities stands for !hese costs. If there could be a more sustainable RDP-housing process, the municipalities could instead use these resources on school and healthcare. When "households" and "people" are mentioned in the essay as an average tenn, it is understood that it is the low income households and the people from the average South A frican townships. The results of the studies show a great realism in the thesis. If implementing water tank for rain water harvesting as well as SWH for heating of warm water, the South African RDP-households could after a period of 15 years be more self sustainable. Consequently the SA government could instead of subsidising water and electricity, consider to subsidies the implementation of above mentioned technical equipment as a part of the RDP-housing subsidised programmes. Thereby the municipalities could target economical and human resources for improvement of school- and health system. The South African people would be self empowered and their health status would thereby improve. The ecological savings per household after 15 years would be 4 7820k Wh coalproduced electricity and 309 kl municipal water. The economical savings would after 15 years, per household be more than R20000.