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Energy efficiency interventions: 14 Loop Street and the V&A Waterfront

The 12th Energy Efficiency Forum was hosted at Old Mutual in Pinelands on 18 April 2013. The forum profiled case studies of energy efficiency interventions in commercial buildings, such as 14 Loop Street and the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. In addition, a panel discussion reviewed how to unlock Eskom’s Integrated Demand Management incentives and offerings.

City Electricity Tariff Increases
The forum kicked off with a presentation by Donovan Leeuwendaal from the City of Cape Town’s Electricity Department and provided an overview of the proposed tariff increases which will be announced in May 2013.

Where to with the EE Forum?
Sarah Ward briefly reviewed the status of the EE Forum and what members can expect in future forum meetings.

How we did it: Local Case Studies

Lessons learnt from retrofitting 14 Loop Street: through the lens of a developer and tenant. Rob Kane from Vunani Property Investment Fund Limited spoke about the lessons learnt from retrofitting 14 Loop Street. The “green features” include large double-glazed, openable windows that allow natural light to enter and require less air-conditioning.

V&A Waterfront saves R5.6m on annual electricity bill

Colin Devenish, Executive Manager of Operations, V&A Waterfront spoke about energy efficiency initiatives that have resulted in an annual savings on electricity of 11 261 449 kWh or R5.6 million, while reducing the V&A Waterfront’s demand on the grid by 10.53%. Initiatives include the installation of efficient lighting and repositioning of light fittings; the installation of meters and development of credible metering and billing systems and targets in staff performance contracts. The energy-efficient lighting in the parking garages and the Shopping Centre has reduced consumption by 47% and 73 % respectively.

Shifting the focus

The Energy-Water Nexus: Managing the Links between Energy and Water for a Sustainable Future
Justin Smith, Head of Sustainability, Woolworths spoke about the link between the water and the energy used in commercial buildings. He said that when we save one then we are saving the other too. Therefore, when we save water we are also be saving electricity and all of this helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that we are emitting in Cape Town. Woolworths has pioneered the reduction of its water footprint. When evaluating new real estate opportunities, Woolworths considers if the design of the property enables the efficient use of water and water waste. Head office facilities have shown a 24% decrease in water usage from the 2008 benchmark, with greater savings still to come.

National Business Initiative – Update on the Energy Efficiency Leadership Network
Valerie Geen, Director of the Climate and Energy Unit of the NBI updated members of the forum on the Energy Efficiency Leadership Network. She provided them with a brief background of the organisation before moving onto the projects they are involved in as well as barriers in energy efficiency.

CT Partnership Energy Research

Andrew Flemming from the Cape Town Partnership spoke about the Central City low carbon future strategy in which he placed emphasis on creating a sustainable and resilient urban environment. A workshop will be held with central city building owners to review sustainability initiatives.

Taking advantage of incentives

Wayne Fortuin from Eskom spoke about Eskom’s offerings and incentives, what is working and who is taking advantage. He also mentioned the amount of energy consumption per sector, what the past successes are and how the commercial sector can tap into the funding programmes.

Towards the end of the forum, a panel discussion was held on how the commercial sector can take advantage of Eskom’s IDM incentives. It was moderated by Peta Wolpe from Sustainable Energy Africa. Questions were posed to the panellists who are pioneering energy efficiency from property developers to energy consultants and the City and Eskom. The panelists included: Wayne Fortuin (Eskom), Dennis Van Es (Carbon Energy Africa), Rob Kane (Vunani Property Investment), Colin Payne (Enersense) and Menno Sulsters (Shared Energy Management).

Many thanks to the Cape Town Energy Efficiency Forum for the Commercial Buildings.

In a pioneering public-private initiative, the City of Cape Town, Eskom, and the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) collaborated to form an Energy Efficiency Forum for commercial buildings in Cape Town. The forum is co-funded by Old Mutual, and supported by organisations such as the South African Council of Shopping Centres, Accelerate Cape Town, Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Cape Town Partnership, Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), University of Cape Town (UCT) and the Provincial Government of the Western Cape. 

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