Many businesses and individuals are aware of the importance of reducing their energy consumption; doing so offers benefits for the environment and a decrease in one’s utility bill. However, one of the biggest barriers to wider adoption of energy efficient technology is the capital outlay required to purchase, install, and maintain these systems. This is according to Barry Bredenkamp, General Manager, Energy Efficiency & Corporate Communications at the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). Bredenkamp reports that a possible solution lies in the procurement of energy efficiency as a service provider, rather than financing the procurement of state-of-the-art energy efficiency technologies on the company’s balance sheet, which are constantly evolving and improving.
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.