In South Africa we operate within the constraints of an energy grid that is under extreme load with very little reserve margin and with the delays of the Medupi power station (expected to be on line H1 2014), Eskom is placing significant emphasis on what it calls demand side management. This effectively means that Eskom pays client to become more energy efficient and hence reduce the load requirements on the grid.
PC power management still represents a quick win for IT departments to reduce energy consumption in a significant way. We have discussed the many aspects of these solutions on this blog, particularly in relation to NightWatchman from 1E.
NightWatchman has recently been approved under Eskom’s ‘standard offer’ rebate scheme. This means that clients deploying NightWatchman can apply for an energy rebate for savings achieved through the implementation of the solution. This significantly enhances the already aggressive business case for the deployment of NightWatchman PC power management.
The Eskom process is quite rigorous and savings achieved are independently verified through third party measurement and verification teams appointed by Eskom. NightWatchman, which is the only green IT solution on Eskom’s approved products list was chosen based on its ability to accurately baseline and report savings as well as the speed at which these savings can be achieved.
The rebate scheme is available to customers who can achieve a minimum saving of 50 kW of load on the grid. A minimum seat count of approximately 2500 workstations, of which 80% are left on overnight should be sufficient to secure the rebate from Eskom.
Payments from Eskom are achieved based on verifiable savings at a rate of 42c per kWh achieved over a period of 3 years. 70% of this payment is made upfront once the savings have been proven. This means a rebate of anywhere between R70 and R130 per workstation which can be used to offset any upfront license costs.
As the Eskom process is quite rigorous, sustainableIT has partnered with an energy management company to ensure that earmarked projects are rapidly taken through the Eskom approval process to ensure clients get maximum benefit from the rebate scheme.
Please feel free to contact us should you wish to learn more about the Eskom rebates and how NightWatchman can help you achieve real energy savings.