The National Business Initiative (NBI) has announced the launch of the Private Sector Energy Efficiency (PSEE) project, aimed at encouraging all South African businesses to understand their impact on the environment and to participate in energy efficient initiatives. The new project has been set up with support from the Carbon Trust, which will be leveraging its experience of similar programmes in the UK in order to provide technical support to the PSEE team.
The NBI was awarded £8.6-million by the UK Government through its Department for International Development (DFID) to implement a countrywide programme of support for energy efficiency improvement to the private sector.
The main aim of the PSEE is to improve levels of energy efficiency among commercial and industrial companies in South Africa. The PSEE is targeted to work with about 60 large companies and just over 1000 medium sized companies to support the awareness and uptake of best practice in energy management and energy efficiency by South African industry.
- Joanne Yawitch, CEO at the NBI
Supporting business to implement energy efficiency is a win win for the economy and for the environment. It takes costs off the bottom line of business, making them more competitive, and also plays an important role in reducing carbon emissions. We are delighted to support NBI in the development of this ground breaking project and are pleased that our ten years of experience implementing business energy efficiency in the UK is being put to good use in South Africa.
- Tom Delay, Chief Executive at the Carbon Trust
The PSEE will have three levels of service: remote advice for small businesses, technical face-to-face support for medium-sized companies, and longer term support of energy management and strategy for large companies.
The management of energy is often neglected by business, even though there is considerable potential to reduce costs through energy savings. While this does make absolute business sense; without an effective energy management policy in place, many of these opportunities tend to be overlooked.
- Joanne Yawitch, CEO at the NBI
She says companies that do implement effective energy efficiency improvements in their business can improve business productivity, competitiveness and innovation as well as gain access to energy efficiency financial subsidies and tax incentives.
Over the past 8 years, the NBI has participated in and implemented a number of projects to assist South African businesses to improve their levels of energy efficiency through initiatives such as the Voluntary Energy Efficiency Accord, the Carbon Disclosure Project and Energy Efficiency Leadership Network.
South Africa is historically a fossil fuel based economy, dependent on coal and oil. While this has begun to change due to an increasing pressure from rising energy prices, climate change legislation and the need to be seen as environmentally responsible by customers and stakeholders, there is still a long way to go and we are confident that the PSEE is the platform to drive this change.
- Joanne Yawitch, CEO at the NBI
Notes to Editors
About the Carbon Trust:
The Carbon Trust is an independent company with a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy. The Carbon Trust:
- advises businesses, governments and the public sector on opportunities in a sustainable, low carbon world
- measures and certifies the environmental footprint of organisations, products and services
- helps develop and deploy low carbon technologies and solutions, from energy efficiency to renewable power
For further information on the Carbon Trust, please contact the Carbon Trust press office on 020 7170 7050 or press@carbontrust.com. Alternatively visit www.carbontrust.com.
