Top tips for saving and celebrating a greener Christmas 

Load shedding is a fact of life for the foreseeable future in South Africa and a little planning and creativity can alleviate a lot of the unpleasantness during the holidays. This is according to Evan Schiff, event director of the annual African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa conference and expo in Cape Town.

He says furthermore that higher electricity prices in South Africa have become an increasing strain on consumers’ monthly expenses and that “Christmas is a great time to introduce energy saving habits into a household as many easy and simple changes in the way we live can end up putting extra money into your pocket.”

Practical tips to plan for and cope with load shedding this holiday:
•    Be prepared, keep a regular eye on websites with information on load shedding schedules and print these out.  http://www.loadshedding.eskom.co.za/
•    Create a Whatsapp group for your neighbourhood and keep each other informed.
•    Make sure that there are enough candles, matches, torches, batteries and so forth for load shedding periods after dark.
•    Be ready for it! Make sure all cellphones, tablets, laptops and toys are fully charged before the lights go out. This way you can keep the kids entertained with a movie, or at least be able to use the phone.
•    Have fun activities ready for when the lights are off such as board games and family time around the barbeque.
•    Keep a gas burner as a back-up in the kitchen to be able to heat water and do essential cooking.   

An energy efficient holiday season
“There are a variety of ways we can use a lot less electricity this holiday season”, says Schiff, “such as using LED* Christmas lights which use 90% less electricity than regular Christmas lights. Consider investing in solar powered outdoor lights which can also be used on the Christmas tree and only come on at night.”

He continues: “up to 40% of all batteries are purchased during the holiday season so try to buy toys and gifts that don't use electricity or batteries. Gifts made of recycled material are also a great environmentally friendly gesture.”

More handy energy saving tips for the holiday season:
•    Don’t use the tumble dryer unnecessarily – it is summer, so take advantage of solar powered drying.
•    Turn off the room lights when the Christmas tree lights are on.
•    Set a timer to Christmas and outdoor lights to limit the time they are on.
•    Create a romantic and intimate atmosphere by using candles instead of lights.
•    Enjoy the weather and celebrate the holidays outside with a braai instead of cooking on a stove!  Or enjoy cold meats and salads during this summer season – it’s healthier and saves on power.
•    If you’re going away, turn off/ the geyser, empty and unplug the refrigerator.Advice for improving energy efficiency in your home during the year:
•    Invest in a geyser blanket. Unless the geyser is properly insulated, switching it off does not save electricity.
•    Insulate the roof to make the house cooler in summer and warmer in winter and thereby saving on seasonal heating and cooling.•    Switch off appliances at the wall plug when not in use.
•    Replace CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) bulbs with LED.
•    Use cold water to do laundry, it saves electricity and is better for the clothes.

Gathering thousands of energy professionals
For the past 14 years, the African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa conference and exhibition has helped to reduce the energy consumption of commercial and industrial large power users and has assisted in African utilities providing electricity and water to all of Africa. The event brings together thousands of utility professionals from across the globe to learn, share knowledge and debate the key topics that will secure the future development of Africa’s power industry. These include energy efficiency, improved service delivery, renewable energy, collaboration across the continent and investment in new power projects. South Africa’s state utility Eskom has been a key partner for many years.

The 15th edition of African Utility Week is expected to again attract more than 5000 attendees and feature 250 exhibitors, 190 speakers, eight conferences, free technical workshops on the expo floor, three high-profile plenary sessions and the coveted industry awards gala dinner. Stakeholders from across the industry and continent are represented, from Ministers of Energy through to power and water utilities, municipalities and regulators to investors and technology and service providers.  

Attending the African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa exhibition is free when registering in advance and it showcases energy saving technologies and services for the industry and features hands-on demonstrations and workshops on the exhibition floor.

*LED=light-emitting diodes

Eskom’s 49M campaign encourages all South Africans to take the 49M pledge to save at least 10% electricity.  http://www.49m.co.za

African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa are organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK.

The dates for next year’s African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa are:  
Exhibition & Conference: 12-14 May 2015
Industry awards: 13 May 2015
Site Visits: 15 May 2015
Location:  CTICC, Cape Town
Website:  www.african-utility-week.com, www.clean-power-africa.com 

Contact for interviews:
Event director: Evan Schiff
Mobile: +27 83 415 3534
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.african-utility-week.com/pages/detail/15725

5000+ power and water professionals to meet for 15th annual industry meeting

Regional collaboration in the power and water sectors, the untapped potential of renewable energy and investment challenges will be top of the agenda at the 15th African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa conference and exhibition, returning to the CTICC in Cape Town from 12-14 May next year. The event is expected to again attract more than 5000 attendees and feature 250 exhibitors, 190 speakers, eight conferences, free technical workshops on the expo floor, three high-profile plenary sessions and the coveted industry awards gala dinner.The event brings together utility professionals from across the globe to learn, share knowledge and debate the key topics that will secure the future development of Africa’s power and water industries.

Africa is open for business
The new event director for African Utility Week Evan Schiff says: “Based on consultations with the industry, we have extended the conference and exhibition by an extra day, so we now offer three days of conference sessions, networking and an extra plenary session. The theme of our opening plenary session is: ‘Africa is open for business’. We have a few surprises up our sleeves in terms of keynote speakers and at this stage we can confirm that the Rockefeller Foundation’s Managing Director for Africa, Mr Mamadou Biteye, is part of our high-level line-up.”

He continues: “our most important aim is to remain relevant by providing the best industry insight and knowledge to attendees. To ensure we are plugged in to the most up to date information, we work very closely with leading and pioneering individuals and companies in the sector. Our high-level advisory board is a veritable who’s who of the power and water industries and our conference and technical workshop programmes reflect this with topical, up-to-date discussions and presentations.”     

Industry challenges
With regards to challenges in the industry, the African Utility Week director says “there is a growing need for regional collaboration: establishing a regulatory framework for the entire region and cross-border power supplies and exchanges. Furthermore, there is vast untapped potential in solar PV, wind, and geothermal that can be used as power generation sources.”

Another major challenge is access to finance for investment in energy projects and infrastructure development. To address the calls for more information on this key sector, African Utility Week 2015 presents a new Finance & Investment conference track that will create a unique forum for utilities, governments and project developers to meet with international, regional, local and alternative financiers to explore new opportunities arising from the utility industry, address relevant challenges, and answer some of the thorny funding questions. It will have the objective of encouraging funding and revenue inflows into the utility sector by engaging leading decision makers on the global finance and investment arena.

Industry buy-in
Eskom is again the host utility for the event, Cape Town the host city while the event also enjoys the support of professional industry bodies such as the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE), the Power Institute for East and Southern Africa (PIESA) and Southern Africa Asset Management Association (SAAMA).

Big suppliers of technology and services to the sector have also already signed up as high-profile partners at the event, including global player DNV GL as exclusive diamond sponsor, while Accenture, Building Energy, MarelliMotori and Rubbytad are the four platinum sponsors.  

CEO Forum
The invitation-only Utility CEO Forum is the only African forum where C-level executives from Africa's leading utilities come together to discuss pressing topics within the industry and to accelerate cross-border collaboration, development plans and the advancement of regional centres of excellence throughout Africa. Utility executives from countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, Namibia, Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa are expected to return.

Awards – Outstanding Woman in Power
The inaugural African Utility Week Industry Awards last year were a sold-out success with companies and individuals in the power and water industry honoured in categories ranging from Lifetime Achievement, Municipality of the Year to Clean Energy Project of the Year. For the 2015 event there will be a total of ten categories, with a new category that has been added, namely Outstanding Woman in Power.

Attending the African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa exhibition is free when registering in advance and it showcases energy saving technologies and services for the industry and features hands-on demonstrations and CPD-accredited technical workshops on the exhibition floor. Log on to www.african-utility-week.com for free registration.

African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa are organised by Spintelligent, the African office of Clarion Events Ltd which is based in the UK. It has become recognised as a highly successful African event organiser and publisher, with flagship projects in the power, mining, agriculture, defence and education sectors such as African Utility Week, West African Power Industry Convention, African EduWeek, Agritech-Expo, Land Forces Africa and the iPAD infrastructure and mining event franchise.

Dates for African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa 2015:
Conference and expo: 12-14 May 2015
Awards gala dinner:  13 May 2015
Site visits: 15 May 2015
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa
Websites: www.african-utility-week.com and www.clean-power-africa.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities
Linkedin: African Power Forum

Contact:
Communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Better Living Challenge’s signature Showcase event comprised of lifesize home structures, interactive displays and a programme of lunch-time talks will be taking place this October and November at the Cape Town station forecourt.

The Better Living Challenge Showcase is an interactive event taking place from Tuesday, 28 October to Saturday, 8 November 2014. The exhibition will be officially opened by Premier Helen Zille, MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela (Human Settlements) and MEC Alan Winde (Economic Opportunities) on Thursday, 30 October 2014. There will be lunchtime talks taking place from Wednesday, 29 October 2014. Exhibition opening times are as follows: Monday to Friday from 09H00 – 17H00 and 09H00 – 13H00 on Saturdays.

On show at this event is a display of solutions by the finalists and exhibitors whose projects were entered into the Better Living Challenge. These innovative, affordable and green solutions aim to address some of the problems faced by people living in low-income communities.

Better Living Challenge finalist, James van der Walt’s SolarTurtle solution, will power the entire exhibition off-the-grid at the Cape Town station forecourt. SolarTurtle is a solar-powered energy distribution point securely housed in a 6m shipping container. The container is fitted with a solar battery charging station capable of charging hundreds of battery packs every day. In low-income communities, SolarTurtle functions like a local spaza shop where a local resident will own and operate the SolarTurtle and neighbours will bring their own batteries to be charged, thus providing electricity for the homes . The SolarTurtle prototype can power up to 300 rural households with basic electricity for lights, radios, phones and TVs.

Amongst several other structures being erected at the station forecourt, is an example of a self-build concept that utilises the current sandbag housing technology to work in an incremental way. Known as the UBU Process and entered into the competition by Barry Lewis, the process will commence with the building of a skeleton of a timber frame, clad in zinc prior to the exhibition opening. The incremental part of the build with the sandbags will be done in collaboration with members of a community from Philippi called Sweet Home Farm; an informal settlement that has been in existence since 1996 and has upwards of 17,000 people living in it.

Better Living Challenge has collaborated with Home Innovations Labs to help test some of the solutions in the home. Home-owners from NY147 Street in Gugulethu who implemented these sustainable innovations in their home, have also agreed to assist the Better Living Challenge Showcase as House Hosts at the exhibition on the Cape Town station forecourt.

The Better Living Challenge is a design competition calling for green and affordable products, systems and services, to improve the homes of people living in low-income communities. The Better Living Challenge has been on the hunt to uncover solutions and ideas to improve the lives and homes of people living in low-income areas. Groundbreaking products and innovations that are affordable, well designed and green are being brought to life through this competition.

Alan Winde, Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, said: “In the spirit of our motto, “Better Together”, we put the challenge out to our residents to come up with innovative, sustainable solutions for low-income housing. The entries we received far outweighed our expectations, and I am looking forward to seeing the winning concepts brought to life in a way that improves livelihoods in our province”.

The Better Living Challenge Selection Panel of 47 industry experts identified 21 finalists and 33 exhibitors – out of an impressive number of 130 total entries received. These solutions to be showcased, embody the aims of the competition. The Panel nominated 3 finalists in the Connected Home category, 7 in the Comfortable Home category and 11 finalists in the Structural Home category. In addition, the Selection Panel identified a further 33 projects of merit that will exhibit as part of the Showcase, but are not in line to win an award. To ensure fairness, the selection process was independently observed by KPMG.

There are 3 grand prizes that each consist of half a million rand’s worth of support services to enable these solutions getting to market. 3 student entries will each receive a R40 000 cash prize. The concept facilitates the concept-to-market value chain for innovative and affordable home improvement solutions. The project is specifically aimed at lower LSM groups, although innovations can apply across various communities.

The Better Living Challenge is project-managed by the Cape Craft + Design Institute (CCDI), on behalf of the Western Cape Government’s 110% Green initiative, which encourages organisations to commit to the Green Economy. The Better Living Challenge is a collaborative project between the public and private sector, and civil society demonstrating that these partnerships work to promote economic development. It is an official project (WDC#204) of the Cape Town World Design Capital 2014 (WDC2014) programme. 

The second development phase at Somerset Lakes, a 42-hectare residential estate in Somerset West, will be released to the market in mid September. The first phase sold out rapidly, with 114 sales being recorded within just six weeks of the launch. Construction of the first phase is well under way and occupation is expected to take place in mid 2015.

The new phase, Waterford Green, comprises 48 freestanding double-storey houses, selling from R1,3 million including VAT, no transfer duty. These two and three bedroom homes offer spacious, contemporary, open-plan living areas and private gardens. All homes include at least two bathrooms, one being en suite, and the three-bedroom design offers a garage and an optional guest toilet.

According to Dave Harris, Sales and Marketing Manager of Somerset Lakes, the new product has been specifically designed to help meet the growing demand for affordable, quality housing in the popular Somerset West area.

“We’ve been inundated with requests from buyers looking for houses,” Harris said. “People want freestanding homes with gardens, views and security, in close proximity to the centre of Somerset West, and that’s exactly what our latest product at Somerset Lakes has to offer.”

Designed by Schabort Associates Architects, the new development phase is located alongside the six-hectare lake that gives the estate its name.

“This unique feature is a huge attraction,” Harris commented. “It’s ideal for swimming, canoeing, sailing, windsurfing and fishing, and home to a rich variety of water birds. A magnificent community clubhouse on the shores of the lake, The Summer Club, will enhance the appeal of this fantastic recreational asset, providing residents with play areas, boat sheds, a sandy white beach, and a swimming pool and deck area with stunning views of False Bay and the Hottentots Holland mountains.”

The developers, Omwieco (Pty) Ltd, a consortium of highly experienced development professionals backed by financial giant Investec, have devoted no less than 40% of the estate’s total area to green, open space for the recreation of residents. This includes the lakes and other water features, a mature forest of stone pine trees, landscaped parks and gardens, and kilometres of walking trails and mountain biking tracks.

An indigenous fynbos nursery has been established on the estate, which was recently awarded the prized 2014 SALI Gold Award for landscape design by the South African Landscapers Institute.“No expense has been spared to implement the most technically advanced security system at Somerset Lakes,” said Harris. "These measures include electrified perimeter fencing with 70 high-definition surveillance cameras, which are monitored around the clock from the hi-tech guardhouse, 24-hour guarding and patrols, and an on-site rapid response team. Other advanced features include biometric fingerprint access control."

All homes in the estate will be hardwired with fibre-optic cabling for superfast internet access, DStv and VOIP telephone connectivity, which will allow free telephone calls within the estate.

A Curro Castle School is being constructed on the estate and is due to open its doors in 2015.

Convenient access to the Somerset West village has been provided by the developers through the R16 million construction of Reunion Drive, which links the main entrance of Somerset Lakes to Sir Lowry’s Pass Village Road under a specially constructed railway bridge. Just a few hundred metres from this entrance, an upmarket new shopping centre is now under construction, where Checkers, Woolworths Foods and Clicks will be the anchor tenants.The Vergelegen Mediclinic and the Somerset West CBD are less than two kilometres away, while popular Somerset Mall shopping centre is just 3,5 kilometres from the estate.

“When you consider the amazing lifestyle advantages Somerset Lakes offers, the security, the convenience of the surrounding amenities, and the incredible natural beauty of the estate, I have no doubt our second phase will sell as fast as the first one,” said Harris.“I strongly advise anyone interested to register online for an invitation to a pre-launch sales opportunity, ahead of our public launch in mid September, to avoid disappointment.”

For further information visit www.somersetlakes.co.za or phone 021 202 2200.

African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa has come of age as a truly pan-African event, by the industry and for the industry, with continent-wide collaboration and celebration to produce the best of Africa, says programme director Nicolette Pombo-van Zyl. She adds: “this year’s gathering at the CTICC in Cape Town had just over 5000 registered attendees from 76 countries, of which 30 African, 1100 delegates, 240 exhibitors, 190 speakers, nine conference tracks, and with a high profile opening session and an industry awards gala dinner it was the biggest event yet in our 14 year history.”

Eskom’s Group Executive Transmission, Mongezi Ntsokolo, lead the high-level panel of experts during the opening session, which included Agnes Dasewicz of the USAID’s Power Africa Initiative and NERSA CEO Phindile Balendi. Other leading delegates and experts who were at the event included Reynolds Dagogo-Jack, Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power in Nigeria, Robert Kisubi, Stakeholder Manager at Umeme in Uganda and the World Bank’s water development expert Diego Rodrigues.

Utility industry is maturing
African Utility Week’s Nicolette Pombo-van Zyl says “the focus for 2014 covered the vision for a sustainable African utility sector including topics around the restructuring and privatisation of the Nigeria power sector, delving into what is required to improve the financial viability of water utilities, and the growing concern around the need for water-energy-food nexus initiatives.”

She continues: “it is evident from the frank presentations delivered by industry leaders and through the open conversations during the networking functions that the utility industry is maturing in Africa. This market is the frontier for development and is not willing to copy current formulas without exploring and thoroughly researching solutions that fit the environment.”

African Utility Week Awards
The sold out, inaugural African Utility Week Awards were the hot ticket of the event where the City of Cape Town was named top municipality. Other Awards included best African Power Utility, won by Genesis Electricity Limited of Nigeria; Zambian ZESCO’s MD Cyprian Chitundu was named African Utility Executive of the Year, Uganda’s NWSC won best African Water Utility and Johannesburg’s City Power won the Energy/Water Efficiency award.

CEO Forum
The invitation-only Utility CEO Forum was attended by CEOs and high-level utility executives from countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, Namibia, Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and particularly focused on short-term, technical wins that utilities can implement. In addition, the discussions examined how utilities manage human capital, the on-going challenges of financing power projects and where utilities can take action to mitigate against finance risk.  The two day meeting was accompanied by time for interaction and networking between the various utility CEOs, and continues to build on the relationships founded at last year’s inaugural meeting.

Expo and free workshops
Some 240 exhibitors displayed the latest technology and services in the industry disciplines of metering, clean power, water, large power users, investment and finance, transmission & distribution, smart grids and generation. Leading local and global names that were there included Accenture, Edison Power Group, Marelli Motori and Yingli Solar.

To assist utilities and large power users become more energy efficient and explore renewable energy options, African Utility Week also teamed up with professional industry bodies for a varied series of free CPD-accredited technical workshops in electrical engineering, energy efficiency and renewable energy that took place on the expo floor. Dozens of delegates also attended site visits to see applications of new technologies and services in action at utility energy and water facilities, industrial premises and companies around Cape Town.

Some feedback from satisfied exhibitors and attendees at African Utility Week:

-    “I congratulate the team on a successful 14th African Utility Week and know the quality and standard will be maintained in years to come.”- Joshua Mgeyekwa, Managing Director, Tanga UWSSA, Tanzania

-    “Having had an opportunity to serve on the Advisory Board for African Utility Week and attend the conference and exhibition enabled me to interact with colleagues, exchange cutting edge technology and appreciate how others deal with both challenges and opportunities in energy.” - David Otwoma, Chief Science Secretary, National Commission for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and Chairman, Eastern Africa Association for Radiation Protection, Kenya

-    “I was very impressed with the level of service and staff calibre representing the conference organisers. There was always someone available to help and no problem was too difficult to solve. I look forward to working with you again.” - Chris Haw, Managing Director, Solar Future Energy, South Africa

-    “It was a pleasure and I enjoyed the interactions and opportunities for discussion with colleagues from other areas. Compliments to you all on an extremely well-run conference.” -Peter Flower, Director: Water & Sanitation, Utility Services Directorate, City of Cape Town, South Africa

-    “African Utility Week continues to improve and was the best yet. This has turned into a world class event where one gets to network with important role players and key decision makers. We will definitely be back next year.“ - Dean Pratt, General Manager Africa, MarelliMotori, South Africa – platinum sponsors

-    “Many thanks for giving me a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the AUW. It was indeed a most noteworthy experience for me and I look forward to collaborating very closely with AUW in the near future... You guys are an amazing team. And it was really a great experience...” - Ifeoma Malo, Special Assistant on Energy Policy, Office of the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Power, Nigeria

-    “It was a pleasure seeing you again and participating in African Utility Week. You guys did a great job in organizing this massive event. We look forward to the next one.” - Andrea Orzan, Business Development Director Africa, SunEdison

-    “The event is very informative and interesting and I recommend it to anyone in the profession to attend”. - Abiud Kaura, Senior Manager, Nampower, Namibia

-    “Thank you for hosting such a great conference. We enjoyed the focus days, the main conference tracks and the CEO forum. Thank you also for looking after us so well. We achieved what we set out to and would like to build on this going forward. We would like to discuss some future collaboration, especially along the clean energy side.” - Michelle T Davies, Head Partner for Clean Energy Projects, Eversheds – gold sponsors and award winners.

Dates for next year’s African Utility Week:
Conference and expo: 12-13 May 2015
Focus days: 11 May 2015
Site visits: 14 May 2015
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Websites: www.african-utility-week.com and www.clean-power-africa.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities
Linkedin: African Power Forum

Contact:
Communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone :  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.