Cool road surfacing can combat rising temperatures due to “urban heat islands” and spur the economy. That’s the view of South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) as the country marks Transport month. In urban areas especially, cities are as much as 2 degrees Celsius warmer than their rural surroundings – creating “urban heat islands” (UHIs). SANEDI believes a simple solution to combatting this heat lies in something inherent to all cities – the extensive road networks.
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.