The government has announced plans to reward companies that are energy efficient and voluntarily conserve energy through tax incentives. The energy department says plans for this are already at an advanced stage. The department has met with companies that have already pledged to cut their energy use. Government says that it is pleased that industry has taken the initiative without any form of regulation that forces them to do so.

More than 50 companies and organisations have signed up to the national energy efficient campaign. Government is now finalising a plan to offer tax allowances to promote energy savings. The national business initiative launched the energy efficient leadership network at the COP 17 meeting in Durban last December. It says it’s now ready to roll out an action plan.

Business Unity South Africa says that the benefits of energy management systems far outweigh the cost of implementing them. Eskom has welcomed the initiative and says it will complement its 49 million campaign which largely a domestic campaign targeting household users to reduce their energy use. The utility says that the country’s power system has had no supply interruptions since the 2008 blackouts. Up to now the power utility and its customers have saved almost 3 000 MW since 2005. It says savings from remaining businesses and households will guarantee a stable power system and reduce the country’s carbon footprint.

Source: sabc