((Green Agenda – Fourways Group))
Sustainability starts in the homes of the directors of Fourways Group, and continues through their own office spaces to the business premises and homes of their South African clients.
“Not only do we bring great quality products into South Africa, but we also make sure they’re as energy-efficient as possible,” says Fourways director Richard Perry.
First opening their doors in 1999 selling Samsung airconditioners and spare parts to COD customers in Kya Sands, Johannesburg, to now employing roughly 200 people nationally, they are a leading importer and distributor of energy-efficient products in the airconditioning and water temperature-control solutions space into South Africa, and neighbouring African countries.
Q&A
- Can airconditioners be environmentally-friendly?
“As little as five years ago the majority of airconditioners on the South African market were fixed speed models, with the compressor running at 100% capacity whenever they were switched on. Today, with our inverter models, once they reach the set temperature, they slow down to the requisite speed to maintain that set temperature, saving as much as 60% on electricity usage. The industry has also converted to environmentally friendly gases such as R410, and very new to market R32, which has a global warming potential (GWP) that is one-third lower, and remarkable for its low environmental impact.”
- How seriously does your company rate the green agenda?
“Not only do most of our directors have energy-saving solutions installed in their own homes, but we as a company are implementing new IT software solutions that will result in a paperless environment. We also consider education to have a critical role to play for the future, and so we contribute significantly to education in South Africa, including for dependents of our own staff. In addition, we’re proud to say that our energy-efficient product sales now account for close to 85% of our total sales.”
- What solutions do you offer to traditional electricity-guzzling geysers?
“The elements in geysers are indeed the biggest consumers of electricity. We supply Alliance heat pumps that effectively take over the job of the element in your geyser, which are doing very well considering they contribute up to a 60% reduction in water heating costs. These also have timers that allow you to set the times your heat pump should run to ensure you have hot water ready when you need it.”
- Is there any exciting new technology coming into South Africa?
“Something that’s very exciting are motion sensor airconditioners that can discern when individuals have left the room. When no motion is detected for a period time, the airconditioner automatically shuts off. This is especially important when it comes to energy savings, considering how many people leave their offices and forget to switch off their airconditioners, sometimes overnight. We as a company also benefit from international research and development into environmentally-friendly gases for airconditioners, so that also marks an important step forward towards sustainability. We also have Samsung DVM technology where, if one staff member arrives and turns on their machine, only sufficient power is drawn to heat or cool their office rather than the entire building.”
