Measurement & verification of a utility sponsored residential demand side management programme involving multiple technologies

Due to the low reserve margin on the electrical grid in South Africa many energy initiatives were introduced by the utility over the last decade. One such initiative was to roll out identified energy efficiency technologies at residential homes. The utility aimed to achieve a 90MW evening peak (18h00 to 20h00) demand reduction by distributing free CFLs, LEDs, geyser timers, pool timers and low flow shower roses to residential electricity customers throughout the country. This paper presents an overview of the process and methodology used to measure and verify (M&V) the energy and demand impact of the programme. The verified saving achieved was 87.2MW. This includes both an energy efficiency and a load shifting component. The project was M&V’d using the International Performance Measurement & Verification Protocol (IPMVP) and SANS 50010 standard for determining energy savings