Newsletter Issue 7 July 2019
Project Manager’s Message
Welcome to the 7th edition of the S&L News.
As we pass the halfway point of 2019, the S&L programme continues to pick up momentum; and you’ll find it all here: From news about international visits and collaborations to feedback on key initiatives, the results of critical studies and “dealing crushing blows” to energy inefficient lighting. So feel free to share with colleagues; and please subscribe if you haven’t already.
First up, two colleagues from NRCS and I had the privilege of joining 400 global participants at the highly regarded eceee 2019 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency. It was held in France (3 to 8 June) with the overall objective of expanding the boundaries of energy efficiency policy and accepted practices in Europe and the world. Here, the S&L Project presented a paper, co-authored with associates from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California and the University of the Witwatersrand, on the rollout of the Residential Efficient Lighting Programme in South Africa. The presentation was well received, offers an excellent bird’s eye view of the initiative and can be found here
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Theo Covary
S&L Project Manager
Crushing Bad Lighting
South Africa’s Residential Efficient Lighting Programme took huge strides this last month – not only being presented on at a global conference in France (see above), but also in literally crushing its opposition, while cleverly changing consumer consciousness.
This involved an intensive social media campaign across various platforms; using short, engaging video content about the types and advantages of new energy efficient globes and tubes, compared to older counterparts – focusing on the better light quality, long-term savings and longevity of efficient lighting options.
The process to introduce technology neutral minimum technical specifications is also progressing well, and comments from the industry working group are being reviewed. A public consultation will be the final step before the proposed legislation is submitted to the Minister for ratification, and will take place during the last week of July.
The relevant cost benefit analysis, (a key requirement before any legislation is passed), is almost complete; and indeed shows that the benefits to the nation are staggering (the report will be made available in the next newsletter.)
Then, together with the media campaign, the process of responsibly crushing and recycling inadequate products according to global best practices also got off to a flying start.
In Nelspruit alone, 58 000 illegally imported incandescent lamps (ICL) seized by the Regulator were collected for crushing – with collection now moving to Durban, then PE and CT.
In total, 1.2 million incandescent and CFL globes will be crushed over the coming period; and we will continue driving public uptake of energy efficient lighting through multiplatform online communication.
Makro Retail Campaign Successfully Concludes
The project’s first combined in-store and online retail campaign drew to a close on the 3rd of June. Launched in partnership with Makro in celebration of May as Energy Month, the promotion had a national footprint and gave consumers a R400 discount on the purchase of “best in class” appliances. The results were overwhelmingly positive as can be seen in the report, available here.
Geysers in Hot Water
The public report about the impact of VC9006 on domestic hot water storage tanks – and the compliance concerns involved – is now complete and available for scrutiny.
The report stems from a study by the Centre for Renewable & Sustainable Energy Studies at Stellenbosch University, commissioned by the UNDP, which combined two stakeholder workshops, in-depth desktop research and key stakeholder interviews. Now, the resultant report covers the full scope of issues, from the pragmatic to the regulatory – critical insights on the actions industry and government could consider to address them.
The Shared “Sead” of Global Success
The S&L Project now features on the SEAD website – the “Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment” initiative – a “voluntary collaboration among governments, working to promote the manufacture, purchase, and use of energy-efficient appliances, lighting, and equipment worldwide.” The S&L team also participated in a SEAD-facilitated webinar with representatives from the EU and Ghana, as part of the global dialogue, discourse and active partnership that the initiative promotes.
The webinar can be heard on https://superefficient.org/events/spex-label-communications and the article on the SEAD website regarding South Africa can be found on https://superefficient.org/news/2019/highlight-on-south-africa
Finally; please remember to subscribe to this newsletter if you haven’t already and look out for Edition 8 in August.
“As each country looks to meet their emissions reduction, energy efficiency, or renewable energy goals, they will look to cities as places where transformational change can make the most difference.”
– Patricia Espinosa