The Energy Barometer was co-founded and developed by Prof L J Grobler from Energy Cybernetics and is the product of five years of research and development. It encourages companies to become aware of their energy consumption levels and to improve these in the interest of their own bottom-lines as well as the national economy whilst providing a platform for comparison and learning.
Identifying and recognising buildings that have low energy consumption in relation to the size of the building, the award results were determined through an analysis and audit of the various entrants' utility bills over a one-year period, as well as results specifically designed survey.
In the category of Shopping Centres, Oriental Plaza (Johannesburg, Gauteng) came out tops, followed by Centurion Mall (Centurion, Gauteng) and Canal Walk (Cape Town, Western Cape).
Prior to the mall's participation in the award process, Centurion Mall undertook a 'green' initiative, which saw management and owners re-evaluate and redefine the malls carbon footprint. "The process involved analysing all operational levels and areas within the mall," says Chris le Roux, operations manager at Centurion Mall. "The majority of lights were replaced with energy-saving lights and a building monitoring system was installed for all the air conditioning units. Timers were also installed in various areas to manage the hours that the lights are working and all the geysers in the bathrooms were turned off. Power factor correction was also installed."
Johann Fourie, GM of Centurion Mall, adds, "We started with energy saving initiatives before we knew that any recognition would be given. The main driver behind this initiative was cost efficiency, in addition to protecting our precious environment and to improving our carbon footprint."
Exxaro (Pretoria, Gauteng), AngloGold Ashanti (Johannesburg, Gauteng) and Barloworld (Boksburg, Gauteng) were awarded respectively first, second and third places in the category Corporate Head Offices.
