Cement producer AfriSam became the first construction materials company to sign the 49M pledge on Monday, raising the number of big businesses and organisations now backing the energy-efficiency campaign to 70 .

Eskom CEO Brian Dames praised the committment, while again warning that the South African power system will remain “tight” for at least the next two years.

Dames said that energy efficiency was a challenge for the whole country and that serious efforts had to be deployed to “keep the lights on and ensure that the wheels of our economy continue to turn.”

The 49M campaign was about “changing our behaviour now and in the longer term, so that we can use a scarce resource more efficiently, helping to save the planet and to save our pockets.

But much more had to be done by South African businesses to “hard-wire energy efficiency into the way they operate and invest”.

AfriSam CEO Stephan Olivier said the pledge formed part of the group’s ongoing commitment to energy efficiency at its operations and to reducing its electricity consumption.

“In 2005 we became a signatory to the Energy Accord and in 2008 our company was named the National Business Initiative’s Energy Efficiency winner in recognition of electrical energy savings. Between 2000 and 2011, AfriSam reduced specific electrical energy consumption by 18%,” he added.

The company also recorded a number of significant milestones, including major equipment upgrades at its operations to reduce electrical energy consumption.

“All these achievements have spurred us on to accomplish even better savings in the future. We are also planning to introduce an energy efficiency initiative at AfriSam’s central offices in Roodepoort that will see the installation of motion sensors, energy efficient lighting, solar geysers and solar panels.

“In addition, we are assisting our employees to become energy efficient in their homes by helping them to apply for Eskom-funded energy efficient lighting, showerheads, solar geysers and timers,” Olivier said.