As Women’s Month draws to a close, it is important to highlight how sector-specific initiatives can help make it easier for women to enter traditionally male-dominated environments. The “Women in Energy” initiative has been embraced by the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), as they incorporate gender mainstreaming into achieving their mandate of promoting energy efficiency and driving research and development in the sector.
The Residential Energy Consumption project is focused around the collection of residential energy consumption data. This data is based upon the types of electrical appliances and their end-use by individuals within the different Living Standard Measure (LSM) across South Africa. The appliance end-use data utilised within the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) model for analysis, enabling policy makers with a better understanding and visibility of residential energy side. Furthermore, this project supports aspects of the review of the National Energy Efficiency Strategy (NEES) targets, together with the National Standards & Labelling Programme (S&L) impact assessment.