History

About SAEEC

The Southern African Energy Efficiency Confederation (SAEEC) is a non-profit organization that serves as the chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) in South Africa, the first such chapter established in Africa. Founded in 2002, SAEEC is dedicated to promoting energy efficiency and sustainable practices across Southern Africa.

Growth and Development

The SAEEC shares the position that only effort made in development towards the right direction can lead to progress. The confederation is therefore designed such that we link our members to development initiatives that are aligned to international best practices. These range from webinars, training, site visits, discussions, regulatory updates and its annual conference, as well as its technical conferences, where projects that are leading the way for sustainable development that are arranged either through ourselves or our various interest groups and associations are showcased.
The SAEEC is also aligned to international best practice through its affiliation with Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), a non-profit global authority established in 1977 to promote the scientific and educational interests of those engaged in the energy industry and to foster action for sustainable development in the field of resource efficiency. SAEEC is a proud chapter of the AEE, and this integrates members to a professional society of over 18,000 members in more than 100 countries and over 33,000 Certified Professionals. The international certifications can be accessed through our partnership with the Institute of Energy Professionals Africa (IEPA), who offer a variety of recognised programmes in resource efficiency for Sub-Saharan Africa as the local authorised training partners for AEE. This growth however is not just limited to energy efficiency as the SAEEC recognizes the link between water and energy in the context of Southern Africa and the world as we collectively face significant challenges because of climate change effects. The links to development initiatives related to water efficiency is also promoted within the SAEEC and can be accessed through various communities, partners and showcased at the annual conference. SAEEC also offers other personal development opportunities through the UNIDO and NCPC-SA End User courses, SAPVIA PV GreenCard and PQRS offerings.
Community
Engaging through the SAEEC allows access to an extensive number of people and businesses who are passionate about our planet, energy, and resource efficiency. These are the people and businesses who make up the SAEEC and we are just as passionate about them. We’ve therefore created specific communities within the SAEEC that are either in the form of an association or an interest group. Our current associations are the Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) Association of South Africa (EASA) and the South African Females in Energy Efficiency (SAFEE), the Measurement and Verification Community of Africa (MVCA), and the Southern African Youth in Energy Sector (SAYes) operating as interest groups.
These communities were created to foster the need of a forum that promotes networking, knowledge sharing as well as advancing that specific area that can unlock the improved efficiency in the energy industry. In these communities’ discussions on projects, technology trends and regulatory updates are facilitated to the members and relationships can be formed amongst people of similar backgrounds and interests. These relationships can be used to further business development or expand an individual’s area of influence in the industry, learning about projects from others and furthering of knowledge and solving of problems encountered.
Recognition & Accreditation
Our people, corporates and projects that have succeeded in the industry have a profound effect in the industry and if the effort is duplicated creating a combined impact becomes truly significant. It is for this very reason that the SAEEC seeks to recognize efforts made by individuals, corporates and educators both in Southern Africa and the world. Our annual awards ceremony recognizes best practice, innovation and leadership in the industry so that this would be a source of inspiration to others and promote good work within Southern Africa. The individuals, corporates and projects shortlisted would then be supported by the association and submitted to the AEE for a chance to influence the industry on the world stage.
Our international affiliation is also linked with the Clean Energy Ministerial. The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) Energy Management Leadership Awards showcase leading organizations using the ISO 50001 global energy management system standard. Top winners are honoured at the annual Clean Energy Ministerial meeting, a high- profile event that gathers clean energy leaders and partners from around the world, including energy ministers from the 24 governments active in CEM. This awards program and association with the CEM shares successes, best practices, and benefits achieved to inspire others towards continuous improvement in energy efficiency.
SAEEC recognizes industry excellence through:
  • Annual awards celebrating innovation and leadership in energy and water efficiency
  • International affiliations with AEE and the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM)
  • Accredited professional development opportunities via IEPA
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