In South Africa, many industrial activities rely heavily on legacy infrastructure. The legacy systems have components, hardware, and software that were developed and manufactured decades ago and were not developed to accommodate energy management and monitoring technologies. This study aims to develop a practical Energy Management Systems (EMS)-based integration framework to assist organisations with older infrastructures. A mixed-methods approach was used: the quantitative component was a survey, and the qualitative insights were drawn from semi-structured interviews. The survey helped identify how certain challenges were, while interviews added an analytical depth from experts who worked directly with Energy Management and Monitoring Systems (EMMS) and asset modernisation. The results identified both technical and operational challenges facing sustainable asset modernisation. The results also showed that when EMMSs are rolled out in a planned and structured way, organisations can achieve noticeable savings and quick payback periods. Based on the results, a framework with three main parts, technical, operational, and economic, was developed. The proposed framework can be used by individuals from different departments within an organisation. For managers and engineers, the framework offers a practical guide to balancing technology, people, and financial planning, ultimately creating a pathway for EMMS modernisation of legacy systems.

Keywords

Energy Management Systems (EMS), Legacy Infrastructure, Asset Modernisation, Sustainability, and Integration Framework.