Eskom’s energy retrofits of multiple office
blocks and engineering workshops in Cape
Town – a shining example.
Internal energy efficiency – Brackenfell
Eskom’s Brackenfell Building Complex in the Western Cape has successfully
completed a 4-month long energy efficiency retrofit project.
The complex – consisting of a number of office blocks and engineering workshops with
differing floor plans, and varying types of light fittings and air-conditioning split units –
embarked on a challenge to respond to the utility’s call to reduce energy consumption in all
its buildings, facilities and power stations.
The internal energy efficiency process encompasses 6 key areas:
1. An energy audit and installation of metering technology;
2. Upgrading lighting;
3. Making load reductions through water heating and office equipment efficiencies;
4. Upgrading heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) and air handling units; and
5. Monitoring, verifying and maintaining energy savings.
Huge savings at Brackenfell
The retrofit realised an impressive saving of 760 MWh per annum which equates to a 15%
reduction in electricity consumption. The savings were confirmed by the University of Cape
Town (UCT) Measurement and Verification (MV) team, an independent auditor acting on
Eskom’s Integrated Demand Management projects.
“After a thorough investigation of existing inefficient technologies, a comprehensive plan to
pursue a retrofit that would bring in the necessary savings was put together. All fluorescent
tubing had to be scrutinised and old technologies replaced with energy saving tubes. In
addition, new occupancy sensor technology eradicated lights and air conditioning units
staying on when offices or workshops are vacant,” says Andrew Etzinger, Senior General
Manager, Integrated Demand Management department, Eskom.
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Internal Energy Savings Project
As the premier supplier of electricity in South Africa, Eskom is a knowledge centre for
energy efficiency and at the forefront of implementing Internal Energy Savings Projects in its
buildings, facilities and power stations across South Africa. These projects are in line with
the signing of the National Business Initiative’s Energy Efficiency Accord to support a 15%
saving in the industrial and mining sectors by 2015 as directed by the Department of
Energy’s energy efficiency strategy.
Retrofits have been completed at 111 Eskom facilities covering a range of energy saving
technologies including lighting, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, solar water heating
systems, heat pumps, and renewables (such as photo-voltaic projects).
Eskom’s Internal Energy Savings Project far exceeded the savings projection for the two year
period 2011/12; 25.5 GWh were targeted, 44.9 GWh were delivered. The project also
includes making energy efficiency criteria part of the company’s capital investment and
procurement process, and communicating and promoting energy efficiency replacement
programmes – compact fluorescent lamps, geyser blankets, energy and water-saving shower
heads, etc. – to staff for implementation in the office and at home.
Brackenfell’s retrofit focus
The project focused on three key aspects:
1. Changing magnetic ballasts to Electronic Control Gear (ECG) to reduce strain on the
electricity supply; this resulted in the offices being less noisy because the inductor
coils – which created a constant humming sound – have been eradicated and
replaced with electronic circuits
2. Changing fluorescent tubes to energy efficient tubes; and
3. Installing occupancy sensors on lighting and air conditioning units.
A huge replacement task
The retrofit team took on the mammoth task of swapping 2 136 energy intensive lamp
fittings and tubes with new energy efficient lamps and tubes; a decision was taken to also
replace tubes in fittings where no ballast change was needed. Three 36 W lamp T8 fixtures
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were replaced with three 32 W T8 eco tubes, and 400W high bay lighting was replaced
with four 54 W T5 T-bay and some with 85 W CFLs.
Due to the many different floor plans and office and workshop layouts, the project team
had to carefully consider the best approach to ensure the effectiveness of new occupancy
sensors, and staff had to be advised how it operates and the energy saving benefits that
would be derived. Wall mounted switches were installed in single offices and ceiling
mounted switches for larger open plan offices and meeting rooms. Separate roof-mounted
sensors were installed on the air conditioning units.
“I am very happy with the reduction in energy consumption achieved at Brackenfell, and am
confident that the retrofit team will continue to identify energy saving opportunities in the
coming months”, Etzinger concludes.
The next step
The Brackenfell retrofit team’s next project will be the conversion of all electrical element
geysers to either solar water heating systems, or heat pumps, in support of further energy
savings at this Eskom building complex.
For more information on Eskom’s full range of funding programmes for replacing energyhungry with energy-efficient technologies in all sectors of the South African economy, visit
www.eskom.co.za/idm.
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