Electricity and Control June 2020

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Outsourced steam: improves efficiency and saves costs The economic downturn has had a severe impact on countless businesses, forcing many to re-examine their operational costs. For commercial and industrial businesses that rely on steam, a dedicated and reliable service provider offering outsourced steam can deliver significant cost efficiency while eliminating the need for upfront capital investment, which reduces overall business risk.

and therefore offer a reduction in energy use. Newer steam generation systems are more reliable, and can produce much more consistent results. Achieving this level of efficiency, however, requires dedicated and constant monitoring and maintenance – something that most businesses are not equipped for,” Probert notes. Outsourcing with Energy Partners Steam also allows for remote monitoring, he adds. “This means there is a team constantly monitoring and tweaking the system’s output remotely, able to detect maintenance issues early enough to keep downtime to a minimum and ensuring optimal efficiency.” With companies under pressure to recover and adapt to an entirely new economic landscape, Probert says it has never beenmore important to consider the impact that even small improvements in efficiency can bring to a company. “Whether it is food production, paper production, textiles or any other business, being able to increase efficiency without the need for capital outlay is becoming even more valuable,” he concludes. Energy Partners is a leading solar energy, refrigeration and steam services provider in South Africa that offers turnkey, co-owned and fully outsourced utilities solutions to clients in commercial and industrial markets. The company has built a high-quality team of 150 engineers and 500 permanent staff based in seven offices across South Africa and Namibia. It actively invests in solar energy generation, refrigeration and steam assets at businesses to provide clients with cost-effective and sustainable utilities, while eliminating the need for upfront capital on the part of the client. Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP), Certified Renewable Energy Professional (REP), Certified Carbon Reduction Manager (CRM), Certified Business Energy Professional (BEP). Further courses to be launched in the next 18 months include: Certified Lighting Efficiency Professional (CLEP), Certified Industrial Energy Professional (CIEP) and Certified Energy Efficiency Professional (CEEP). Courses are scheduled through local partners and in South Africa, bookings are managed through the South African Energy Efficiency Confederation (SAEEC). During the global lockdown IEPA has secured a licence to livestream training through Zoom platforms, with remote support available during this period for candidates who wish to take their exams sooner rather than later. For more information contact IEPA. Email:Yolanda de Lange: yolanda@iepa.org.za Visit: https://iepa.org.za/ For more information contact Energy Partners Steam. Visit: www.energypartners.co.za

Jonathan Probert, Head of Business Development for EP Steam – a division of Energy Partners and part of the PSG group – points out that energy consumption, of which steam production constitutes a significant portion, generally accounts for around 10% of a company’s operational costs. Probert explains that, by partnering with a service provider that owns and operates boiler systems, and sells the steam to the business as a utility, a business can have new systems installed or have their existing systems upgraded. This without the need to spend any of their own capital and with the added upside of immediate cost savings. “Our outsourced

steam product uses state-of-the-art boiler and control systems which ensure optimal running efficiency EP Steam’s outsourced steam product uses state-of-the-art boiler and control systems which ensure optimal running efficiency and therefore a reduction in energy use.

AEE in sub-Saharan Africa With the wind-down agreement being concluded between the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and the previous AEE licence holder for the region, the Energy Training Foundation (EnTF), AEE called to service IEPA – a non-profit company – to represent the AEE in the Sub- Saharan Africa region. IEPA will be taking over the tasks of the EnTF, in collaboration with the growing number of AEE Chapters as well as training partners in the various countries within sub-Saharan Africa. Certification and renewal processing, examinations, chapter development, trainingprovider development, trainer development, training and capacity building programmes or projects, and controlling the quality of the AEE activities in this region, form the basis of IEPA's offerings. The EnTF resources have been employed to deliver the services to which the region has become accustomed. Programmes available include: Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Energy Auditor (CEA), Certified

16 Electricity + Control JUNE 2020