BUSINESS application company Systems Applications and Products (SAP) Africa has signed the 49M pledge to make a concerted contribution to the reduction of electricity consumption on the continent.
SAP’s vision of making the world run better is what drives it to support power utility Eskom in its mandate to make South Africa more energy efficient.
The company’s software provides 30-million households worldwide with the ability to use energy responsibly and has helped its customers reduce carbon emissions by 2.5-million tons, saving $470-million in energy spend.
SAP is committed to reducing its worldwide greenhouse-gas emissions to the levels they had reached in 2000 by 2020. This equates to reducing emissions by about 50% from the levels they had reached in 2007 and, since 2007, SAP has reduced its emissions by 25%.
The company delivers ongoing initiatives to provide sustainable solutions to drive energy, paper reduction, recycling and carbon man- agement through management systems and technology platforms.
The Eskom-led 49M campaign urges South Africans to use electricity sparingly. More than 70 partners have signed the pledge and, as the campaign continues to grow, it is hopeful that all South Africans can contribute to the goal of reducing electricity consumption by 10%.
The SAP Utilities Customer Care and Billing solution has been implemented in about 6.5- million households and businesses in East and West Africa, Francophone countries and the South African Development Community.
SAP Africa head of Energy and Natural Andrew Strachan explains that the software enables utility organisations and local governments to view the billing and customer payment process – from meter reading and bill payments to default debtor management. This includes the integration of relevant information into the smart meters and automated meter-reading systems.
“In doing so, both the customer and the provider can monitor electricity consumption and make adjustments, where necessary, to relieve the grid of power demands and reduce the consumer’s utility bill,” he says.
The software also enables utility organisations to forecast energy consumption patterns to eliminate blackouts.