Port Elizabeth’s Heather McEwan to receive award in Washington

Port Elizabeth’s Heather McEwan is one of 60 people from across the globe who will receive an award for her work in energy development at the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) annual awards ceremony in Washington DC, in the US.

The awards – to be held at the Walter E Washington Convention Centre in conjunction with the AEE World Energy Conference – recognises individuals and companies for their dedication and performance in the energy industry.

McEwan, 55, an entrepreneur at Propella Business Incubator, will collect her award for “Energy Professional Development” in Sub-Saharan Africa on Tuesday.

She was nominated after receiving the Female Energy Professional of the Year award at the SA Energy Efficiency Confederation in November 2018.

McEwan said she had been in the energy industry for 10 years and that work she was doing with the Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDEAT) programme had qualified her for the award.

“Myself and two LEDEAT students have been developing the Environmental Performance App which will allow us to calculate the energy performance of the building stock.

“This is key information for the department of environment affairs which reports SA’s carbon footprint to the Paris Accord at the annual climate change conference,” she said.

“When I first read the e-mail, I thought it was my friends playing a joke on me; I now feel honoured and humbled.”

McEwan said she was looking forward to networking and learning more about the internet of things and energy.

She said she had been drawn to the energy industry because she wanted companies to be more aware of their environmental impact.

“This, while still producing what they needed but in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.

“Energy efficiency allows a company to do just this and the benefit falls to the bottom line.

“It is now a global imperative that we reduce carbon going into the atmosphere, as climate change is very real these days and no longer something the scientists are predicting or talking about,” she said.

McEwan is also the MD of Rhino Lighting, an accredited energy-efficiency auditor and service provider that advises businesses on cutting costs by reducing energy consumption.