By | March 18, 2019

Demand Side Management (DSM) and Energy Efficiency (EE) Programme offered by Namibia Energy Institute (NEI)

The Electricity Control Board (ECB) has officially handed over the responsibility of managing the Demand Side Management (DSM) and Energy Efficiency (EE) programmes to the NUST’s Namibia Energy Institute (NEI). The DSM and EE programmes, are tools that are used to influence customers’ electricity use behavior.


FROM LEFT: Maxwell Muyambo, Manager, Technical Regulation: ECB; John Titus, Director of Energy: MME; and Helvi Ileka, Head, Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: NEI.

Subsequently, a workshop was hosted last week by the ECB, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and NEI, to define clear goals of the programmes and to capacitate the steering committee members on effective implementation strategies. One of the committee’s goals is to prepare a formal proposal on how DSM and EE initiatives in Namibia can be assisted by the SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREE).

This would be facilitated through the Energy Efficient Lighting and Appliances (EELA) project, which seeks to promote a market transformation for energy efficient lighting and appliances in the SADC region.

The handover enables the ECB to solely focus on its core business of regulating the Namibia’s energy industry.

John Titus, Director of Energy, MME, stated that: “DSM and EE activities will help Namibia to respond to international treaties in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. For example, treaties concerning reduction in green house gas emissions, reduction on energy costs for consumers, lowering energy imports, and enhancing economic development and job creation.”

Additionally, the benefits of such programmes are two-fold. Firstly, consumers can reduce their electricity bills by adjusting the timing and amount of electricity use and secondly, the energy system can benefit from the shifting of energy consumption from peak to non-peak hours.

Helvi Ileka, Head of the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at NEI, indicated that the Institute needed to be resourced and supported in driving and coordinating the programmes.

The NEI not only promotes the low use of electricity, but the use of renewable energy such as from solar energy, which Namibia has in abundance. About 35 participants from distributors, academia, government and other industry partners attended the workshop.