https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Sa Firm Comes Out Tops With Uk-Sponsored Energy Audit

10th December 2015

  

Font size: - +

This article has been supplied as a media statement and is not written by Creamer Media. It may be available only for a limited time on this website.

Aberdare Cables  (0.04 MB)

Company Announcement - Auditors reveal most businesses “can still save 20 to 25%” in energy consumption
 

  • Programme has identified over 14,000 gigawatt-hours [GWh] of lifetime energy savings – report states
  • Aberdare Cables joins 10 other SA facilities with ISO 50001 certification
  • By just adjusting the air-con, medium-sized retailers can save more than R60,000 annually, auditors find

International cable manufacturer Aberdare Cables has come out tops in a UK government sponsored energy audit, the Eastern Cape-based company has announced. The company completed the UK-backed Private Sector Energy Efficiency Strategic Energy Management audit last month. Rhino Lighting was the successful service provider chosen to undertake the energy audit, as part of the PSEE programme. Following the audit, Aberdare’s Port Elizabeth plant has been able to fulfil the stringent criteria required to become ISO 50001 compliant, enabling it to cut its energy consumption by at least 10% annually. Aberdare now joins 10 other facilities nationwide in being ISO 50001 compliant.

According to Rhino Lighting, many businesses could reduce their energy consumption by 20 to 25%. “In most cases it includes what we call ‘low hanging fruit’,” said Rhino Lighting MD Heather McEwan. “This includes basics such as putting timers on lights; not leaving PCs and other electronics on standby mode and instead switching them off entirely; and setting the air-conditioning to 20˚C instead of 18˚C.” This, said McEwan, was saving medium-sized retailers more than R60,000 annually. Businesses enrolling in the free (for small to medium enterprises) and heavily subsidised PSEE programme (for lager businesses), it has meant significant reductions in overheads by cutting energy consumption, thanks to the often easy-to-implement energy savings suggestions from PSEE auditors. “The programme has so far identified over 14,000 gigawatt-hours [GWh] of lifetime energy savings,” said PSEE national programme head Dr Peter Mukoma in a recent report.

Audits in the Eastern Cape included 155 medium-sized and two large companies, according to provincial PSEE coordinator Kevin Tarr-Graham. In offices in the Eastern Cape, PSEE audits have revealed the highest energy consumers, with 56% of consumption going towards air-conditioning systems, 19% to lighting, 10% to kitchen appliances and 8% to UPS systems. Aberdare has been aware of the importance of energy conservation “for quite some time”, said Rist. “The PSEE programme seemed a fortuitous opportunity to utilise part funding from the British government and involve professional energy consultants Rhino Lighting to coach us and bring both comparability and assurance to our energy saving efforts,” said Rist.

The company is investigating introducing green energy solutions, such as concentrated solar as a means of heat generation, as well as potential biomass and wind derived energy generation. These would be introduced “if determined to be truly sustainable”, said Rist.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

Showroom

GreaseMax
GreaseMax

GreaseMax is a chemically operated automatic lubricator.

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Rittal
Rittal

Rittal is a world leading provider of top-quality integrated systems for enclosures, power distribution, climate control, IT infrastructure and...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.233 0.285s - 158pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now