ABOUT FIRSTLOOK™
FIRSTLOOK™ is the largest database of Municipal Electricity & Water Invoices for Schools in South Africa, developed exclusively by Suntricity. By carefully analysing all data of the Municipal Invoices over a period of 4 years, precise data, statistics and Key Performance Indicators (KPI), are created, which identify consumption patterns and provides the crucial information needed to help identify costs and consumption patterns, from which a cost saving programme is developed, aimed at achieving significant cost savings for Schools.
Very limited information is available on the consumption and cost of Electricity & Water in schools. The implication is that statistics relating to average consumption and cost is at best patchy, with average consumption per pupil per day basically not known. Historical consumption data are simply not being tracked, consumption “benchmarks” does not exist and information is certainly not being shared at any level in the Education Sector.
Schools’ Administrators and SGB’s are empowered through easily accessible information of all the school’s electricity and water consumption, via the online platform, therefore enabling informed decisions to effect electricity and water efficiency and significant cost saving.
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY FIRSTLOOK™:
The introduction of details of the schools electricity and water Invoices, for a minimum period of 4-year to the FIRSTLOOK™ Platform, provides an immediate graphical visualisation of:
As the data of each school is added to FIRSTLOOK™, the "COST LEAGUE TABLE" compares schools with similar characteristics and numbers of learners, rating the most energy efficient and cost effective schools, in the form of a league table.
For the first time, schools Administrators and SBG’s will be given an indication of the level of costs their school should be charged for electricity and water. The extreme lack of data, common policy and a seemingly unclear vision and overall strategy for electricity and water consumption in schools in South Africa, is all too evident to those involved in the Administration of schools.
Escalating costs, together with aging infrastructure are but two crucial aspects to a continually growing problem. The only assistance presently offered to the schools to deal with the issue, is generally in the form of “bailouts” by the Department of Education, which merely continues the proliferation of waste, without questioning the “root cause” of the problem.
This situation clearly must not be allowed to continue. FIRSTLOOK™ addresses these issues head on, in search of long-term solutions for eliminating waste and maximising energy efficiency, and as importantly, save money!
We encourage all schools to sign up to FIRSTLOOK™ and begin the process as a matter of priority. Do visit our BLOG and read the various Case Studies and information of what your school should be doing to get started. Please also look at our Water Calculator to understand how much more your Water Costs will be from July 2019.