Against this backdrop, Arista Networks, a global cloud networking company, in partnership with MART Networks and Resourcery Plc, hosted “Efficiency Meets Performance – The Arista Advantage” on Tuesday at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel.

The event brought together telecom operators, financial institutions, and other technology experts, to discuss how to build faster, more reliable networks while keeping costs under control, with particular attention on reducing energy use in a power-constrained market.

Speaking at the event, Arista’s Territory Account Manager for West Africa, Jide Olagbenro, said demand for efficient infrastructure is increasing as organisations look to balance performance with the cost of operation.

“Power is a real issue here,” he said. “You don’t want devices that consume too much energy. That is one of the reasons customers are turning to Arista.”

He added that the company’s solutions are already in use across key sectors in Nigeria, including financial services and large-scale industrial operations, emphasising the growing acceptance in the region.

“We are seeing strong adoption in this market,” he said. “But we need to keep working closely with our partners to expand that reach.”

Arista’s Regional Sales Director for sub-Saharan Africa, Marius Keown, pointed to the company’s global footprint, noting that its technology underpins some of the world’s largest cloud and content platforms.

“Some of the biggest platforms in the world run on our network,” he said. “They would not invest at that level if the technology did not perform.”

He further noted that the company’s growth has been driven largely by engineering focus rather than aggressive marketing. “We focus on building solid technology and letting the results speak.”

Ify Chukwuma, head of Business Development, sub-Saharan Africa at Resourcery Plc Group, highlighted the importance of aligning technology with business needs, drawing on the company’s long-standing presence in Nigeria.

“We’ve been in business for 40 years. That tells you we understand this market,” she said. “What we do is align technology with business needs and deliver solutions that are cost-effective and intelligent.”

She added that partnerships are essential to delivering large-scale infrastructure projects. “We can’t do this alone. That is why we partner with global players like Arista, to bring value to customers and give them peace of mind.”

Esther Oyedokun, country manager at MART Networks, said distribution, training and local support are key to successful deployment across African markets.

“Our goal is simple, to empower businesses with the right technology,” she said. “We don’t just supply products, we provide training, pre-sales and post-sales support, and ensure our partners are fully equipped.”

She noted that access to local stock and technical expertise helps reduce delays and improve service delivery.

On the technical side, Faith Oladapo, product manager for Enterprise Networking at MART Networks, a distributor for Arista Networks, said energy efficiency is becoming a practical concern for operators managing Nigeria’s data centres.

“Our switches can reduce power consumption by up to 30%,” she said. “At first, that may not seem like much, but in a data centre environment, over time, it becomes significant.”

She added that a unified software system across Arista’s products simplifies deployment and reduces licensing complexity.

“We use a single operating system across our products. That makes deployment easier and reduces costs.”

Oladapo also pointed to adequate distribution management as a way to reduce the circulation of unsupported products in the market.

“One of the problems in the market is the spread of unsupported or counterfeit products,” she said. “We manage distribution carefully to ensure customers get genuine, fully supported solutions.”

The company’s near-term focus in Nigeria will be on building local capacity. “We are investing in training partners and engineers, because they are the ones driving adoption on the ground,” Oladapo said.

Efficiency has become an indispensable factor as demand for digital services grows, and organisations place greater emphasis on infrastructure that delivers performance without increasing operational stress.

Arista and its partners are therefore placing priority on delivering networks that combine speed, reliability and lower energy use, across data centres and other sectors, while supporting the scale required by Nigeria’s expanding digital economy.

The less energy is wasted, the less pressure there is on finite fuel resources. This also means power plants could generate lower levels of harmful emissions.

The good news is that there are various effective and accessible tools homeowners can use to reduce excessive energy consumption. Some of these are simple measures, such as sealants for doors and windows to reduce energy leaks. But it is the technological solutions, like energy-efficient lighting systems and environmentally sustainable appliances that tend to make a significant impact.

It’s worth taking a moment to examine this issue a little closer. Let’s look at the tech behind energy efficiency in modern homes.

Smart Control Systems

Smart control systems are among the most accessible energy efficiency tools available today. One of the common misconceptions about smart homes is people need to be tech-savvy to use these devices. This isn’t the case.

Developers have worked to ensure smart control systems utilize interfaces many people are already familiar with through their smartphones or computers. It’s also worth noting the growth of the market continues to make these items more affordable. But what tech behind these systems impacts sustainability?

Let’s start with smart lighting systems. There are multiple components that contribute to energy efficiency.

Firstly, the bulbs used are not just connected to the control system, they also tend to be more sustainable light-emitting diode (LED) versions. In addition, the control hub is operated by an application.

This allows you as the homeowner to set appropriate parameters for automation. This can mean the system turns off any lights when sensors indicate there is no movement in the room. You can also arrange to dim the lighting levels at certain times of the night.

Smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems work on a similar principle. In this instance, sensors in the IoT are placed throughout your home, providing a connected application with data on humidity, temperature, and air pressure levels in each room.

The AI software then analyzes this data and either automatically adjusts the HVAC system or makes recommendations to you via the application. In either case, it empowers you to create usage plans more appropriate to your home’s climate needs while minimizing any unnecessary energy consumption.

Alternative Electricity

Another way to be energy efficient in the home is to adopt alternative power solutions. This doesn’t mean you necessarily have to rely entirely on renewable energy. There are some areas in which this either isn’t practical or local government legislation prevents this. However, even gaining some of your electricity needs from alternative sources can make for more efficient use of nonrenewable sources.

Solar power is perhaps the most effective consideration here. This involves using panels to harness the energy from the sun and generate electricity. On its own, this isn’t usable in your home.

Part of the solar system includes a solar inverter to convert this direct current (DC) energy into alternate current (AC) energy that can then be directed toward your electricity breaker box and circulated around your home.

There have been significant advances in solar power technology in recent years, including better production methods that make solar panels less expensive and the batteries capable of storing more energy. If you live in a hot and sunny location, you’ll usually find this results in greater energy efficiency as your panels will have direct access to the solar energy they need.

However, recent improvements in panel design still tend to mean even homes in cloudy areas can expect efficient generation.

Another positive to this tech is that any excess energy you generate can be directed to the local electricity grid. This not only minimizes local reliance on fossil fuels, but you can also see a cash payment in return from utility providers.

Geothermal HVAC

Heating and cooling systems are among the most energy-intensive aspects of homes. Even when you’re utilizing one of the aforementioned smart HVAC systems, you may not be utilizing the most energy-efficient or sustainable approach.

This is because the operation of HVAC systems is usually dependent upon gas, liquid refrigerant chemicals, or nonrenewable electricity sources. As such, there is a rising trend to adopt a more natural approach with geothermal heating and cooling systems.

The technology behind this more energy-efficient approach is geared toward harnessing and circulating the warmth underneath the earth’s surface. In essence, the temperature of underground soil and rocks can be warmer than the above-ground ambient temperature. This means a heat pump can be installed to circulate fluid through underground pipes. The fluid then absorbs the underground heat.

The system then transports this warmed fluid to an above-ground heat exchange that converts the heat to the in-home HVAC system. This heat can then move around the home. These systems can also reverse the effect, cooling homes in warmer climates.

While geothermal pumps may utilize non-renewable electricity, their overall use tends to be more efficient. By some estimates, for every unit of electricity a geothermal unit uses, the system pulls 5 times the amount of energy from the ground. This not only means there is less pressure on the environment, but homeowners tend to save a significant amount of money in heating or cooling their homes.

Conclusion

Adopting energy-efficient technology in your home is one of the most accessible ways to live sustainably. Smart lighting and heating systems, solar panels, and geothermal HVAC are all more affordable than ever. Not to mention improvements in the technology design tend to make them greater tools for efficiency. While there may be some initial cost outlay for this tech, it’s also worth bearing in mind that energy efficiency reduces long-term utility costs. As such, your actions both help the planet and are better for your pocket.

[Image Source: Pexels]

So says the International Energy Agency (IEA), in its recently released report on ‘The value of urgent action on energy efficiency’.

The paper states that “the cleanest, cheapest, most reliable source of energy is what countries can avoid using, while still providing full energy services for citizens. That is why the IEA refers to energy efficiency as the ‘first fuel’. Without early action on efficiency, the energy transition to net zero emissions will be more expensive and much more difficult to achieve.”

The new report highlights opportunities for rapid energy efficiency gains in all sectors of the global economy, most of which involve readily-available technologies.

Not only this, but these solutions also offer a speedy return on investment based on lower running costs, particularly in light of today’s rising energy prices.

By 2030, around a third of the avoided energy demand will come from deploying more efficient equipment, ranging from air conditioners to cars, it states. Approximately a fifth is derived from electrification, such as switching to heat pumps or electric cars, with digitalisation and the use of more efficient materials in industry providing much of the rest.

“Energy efficiency has huge potential,” stated Erik Roels, senior sales accelerator at Danfoss, on a recent visit to South Africa. “The improvement of energy efficiency means that the overall energy demand is reduced and that the remaining energy needs are covered in a more efficient way.”

Danfoss champions energy efficiency with serious objectives

An ‘energy efficiency first’ principle is very close to Danfoss’ heart, with the organisation aiming to become carbon neutral in its global operations by 2030.

Thus far, the company has doubled its energy productivity and halved energy intensity, nine years ahead of time.

Danfoss will continue to prioritise energy efficiency in buildings and processes, in particular through the use of its own solutions. With more than 90 percent of energy-related emissions coming from electricity, the firm’s next priority is to decrease energy consumption from electricity use. It plans to achieve this by reducing the energy use; reusing the energy it has already used once; and replacing fossil energy sources with renewables.

Through its green initiatives, Danfoss has managed to source 100 percent green electricity for its more than 250,000 m² headquarters, based in southern Denmark. In fact, 2022’s figures showcase that 85 percent of its heating demand is covered by green energy from carbon-neutral district energy, utilisation of excess heat, and heat pumps.

“Danfoss itself is an excellent example of using heat recovery to boost energy efficiency,” said Roels. “At our Nordborg campus, excess heat produced by manufacturing processes and the data centre on site is reused to heat our offices and production areas, using our own solutions in addition to installing heat pumps. As part of our green initiatives, we were thus able to cut our emissions last year by 80 percent, putting us well on track to reach carbon neutral status in 2022.”

Heat recovery: not just for Europe

“This strong focus on waste heat recovery is playing a vital role in energy efficiency and energy saving, and can be embraced by organisations across Africa too,” Roels explained. “While there may not be the same access to the type of district heating infrastructure more common in parts of Europe, there is still an argument to be made for heat recovery locally.”

This would pertain in particular to any industry that has a requirement for cooling, he added. “For instance, a local butchery, which uses refrigeration to ensure that its meat products remain cool, could reuse excess heat generated by the cooling equipment to heat water at the establishment.

“Alternatively, we could consider the requirements of an African dairy farm. As a highly perishable food, fresh milk must be refrigerated as soon as the cow is milked in order to adhere to strict processing and handling requirements. The heat generated by the milk storage tanks could again be reused to heat up water for the cleaning and sterilisation of equipment.

“On the other hand, heat could also be sold on, and it doesn’t have to be on the same scale as a district heating system. For example, a local supermarket could use heat extracted for other nearby shops, perhaps in a strip mall, or for neighbouring residences. In fact, a small retail store could generate enough heat to be used by more than 14 nearby houses.

“Any organisation with its own data centre would also have opportunity to recover heat generated. Not only do the racks and rows of servers within a data centre produce heat but, again, the cooling equipment needed for these machines can also generate significant heat.”

Typically, data centres produce heat at between 25 to 30˚ C. Danfoss uses highly efficient heat pumps to further boost this temperature to 60 to 70˚ C for greater efficacy.

“Installing this kind of system is actually an excellent way of decarbonising whilst still keeping the costs relatively low.

“Globally, we have serious climate targets to meet, in line with the Paris Agreement’s goals to avoid dangerous climate change and limit global warming. Heat recovery will most definitely be part of the solution, allowing organisations to work in a smarter, more cost effective way,” Roels added.