JOHANNESBURG, 16 NOVEMBER 2011:The SAEE Energy Company of the Year Award was presented to KwaZulu-Natal company, Energywise Systems Magnet Electrical Supplies, at the Southern African Association for Energy Efficiency’s (SAEE) Awards Ceremony last night. The Awards Ceremony formed part of the official annual SAEE Banquet which marked the opening of the 6th Southern African Energy Efficiency Convention (SAEEC2011)and Exhibition on the 16th of November 2011, held at Emperors Palace, Gauteng. Not only did Energywise shine as Energy Company of the Year, but was also awarded the Best Single Exhibition Stand of the SAEEC2011, for its interactive hands-on display of water and energy saving devices.
World-wide greenwashing has become a common problem which places the development of the energy efficiency sector at risk; end-users are exposed to negative experiences with energy inefficient products which are sold as ‘green’ items.Owner of Energywise Systems, Andrea Barausse, identified a need to make tried-and-tested products available to the South African market. Over the past 4 years he has become well-known for his relentless passion in investigatingwater and energy saving devices and has executed practical experiments in his laboratory to find products that deliver optimal energy and water savings. Together with Magnet Electrical Supplies, Energywise Systems is listed on the Eskom IDM website as the authorised supplier of 16 different energy efficient showerheads. This collaboration, together with a reputation for providing reliable and efficient products to the residential and commercial markets in South Africa, has afforded the team a performance contractwith Eskom for the largest showerhead roll-out in the country to date. This initiative is projected to reduce the demand for energy from the national grid by a whopping 330 GWh, or 110 GWh a year. “With such a contribution to the future sustainability of South Africa’s energy supply, Energywise Systems Magnet Electrical Supplies are worthy winners of the Energy Company of the Year Award”, said Prof LJ Grobler, President of the SAEE.
Prof Grobler reiterates the importance of such projects so that energy efficiency targets for the country can be met, and the grid’s future sustainability can be enhanced. “This year we had a number of entrants that were exceptional for the Annual SAEE Energy Awards Programme. The projects had very good returns and demonstrated that energy efficiency does make good business sense”, continued Grobler. Companies are encouraged to enter their projects to enhance the positive initiatives that materialise in the country.
SAEEC2011 featured over 80 knowledgeable speakers, 50 varied exhibition stands on the latest and most interesting developments in the energy efficiency industry and 500 niche market delegates. Energywise Systems had a very educational inter-active display of the successful functioning of their tried-and-tested products for delegates to view. SAEEC2012 promises to deliver even more information and developments in the energy efficiency sector. Diarise the 7th Southern African Energy Efficiency Convention (SAEEC2012) at Emperors Palace in Gauteng on 14-15 November 2012.
For more information contact the SAEE at info@saee.org.za or visit the website www.saee.org.za, or Andrea Barausse at andrea@energywise.co.za.
