Like every other business in South Africa, shopping centres are faced with the prospect of either lowering their energy costs or facing a strained bottom line. With electricity tariffs being raised at the start of April 2025 and given the economic tightening being felt across South Africa’s consumer base, shopping centres need to reduce costs to limit their exposure.
In short, every kilowatt counts. Therefore, shopping centres need to uncover how they can save on energy costs by taking control of consumption. Here are some ways that shopping centres can manage their power usage more efficiently:
Conduct A Comprehensive Energy Audit
Every shopping centre’s energy use is layered. There’s lighting, HVAC, escalators, tenant demand, signage, refrigeration, and more.
With a professional utility audit, you can understand exactly where your power is going. An audit will reveal outdated lighting systems, pinpoint the impact of oversized HVAC units, or highlight inefficiencies in tenant spaces.
With these inefficiencies mapped, targeted improvements can then be rolled out to effect immediate cost reductions without sacrificing comfort or functionality.
Introduce Remote Metering and Sub-Metering
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. This makes remote and sub-metering implementation important, as it allows mall managers to gain visibility into energy usage across specific zones within the shopping centre.
Whether it be individual shops or individual pieces of equipment, this kind of monitoring allows for more accurate tenant billing, prompt detection of unusual spikes, and facilitates more informed decision-making overall.
Seasonal peaks and unexpected outages can be easily managed thanks to the data from metering systems that help you to remain ahead and in control.
Improve Electricity Efficiency With Power Factor Correction
A poor power factor can result in penalties on your electricity bill and unnecessary stress on your electrical infrastructure. Shopping centres that run large chillers, ventilation systems, and escalators are at the most risk.
However, installing power factor correction equipment can help you ensure that your systems run more efficiently, reduce reactive power, and therefore lower overall demand charges.
Upgrade Your Systems
Aside from these approaches, malls can also simply implement a few upgrades. Many shopping centres operate on static schedules with outdated controls, which means wasting energy during off-peak hours.
However, smart lighting systems, occupancy sensors, and programmable HVAC controls can dramatically cut down on wastage. When paired with solar integration or load-shifting strategies, these upgrades can offer both short- and long-term savings.
If you want to make sure that your shopping centre reduces its overall energy consumption, then chat with the experts at Energy Management Solutions today.