DUBAI, UAE, 17 April 2023: CPI Industry, publishers of Climate Control Middle East magazine, and 3e Advisory jointly conducted the inaugural edition of a short-term Executive Course, titled ‘Energy Management in Real Estate: The Secrets to Success’ from March 6 to April 17. The course – conducted in two batches, on an online platform – drew attendees from the UAE and elsewhere.

Sougata Nandi, CEO, 3e Advisory, and author of the book, which word-by-word lends its name to the Course, was the trainer. Speaking about the course, Nandi said: “Close to 30 years of practising, a major portion of which is in the Real Estate sector, has exposed me to wide ranging facets of implementing energy management programmes. My sole endeavour through the Executive Course was to share all the real-world learning with fellow professionals who aspire to be highly effective Energy Managers. The only way to scale up the fight against the climate crisis is to make every professional an Energy Manager, and this course is one of the three pillars on which we are working towards this goal. This Executive Course has organically evolved from my book of the same name.”

The book throws up critical topics for discussion, such as ‘When and how to initiate an energy management programme across a corporation’s asset portfolio?’ ‘Which model of energy management service is the best fit for a certain facility?’ ‘Should a corporation opt for the ESCO model or should it invest its own cash?’ ‘What criteria must a facility meet in order to ensure a successful energy management programme/project?’ ‘What issues must be taken care of so that the energy management programme is not a failure?’ ‘Is there a time-tested energy management governance framework for corporations that will ensure successful and sustainable savings?’ ‘Who should internally lead the corporate energy management programme?’ ‘What skill set must the person have?’ ‘How to procure an energy management service?’ and ‘Is ESCO really the panacea the energy management industry looking for?’ The course was an opportunity to identify answers to these questions.

Nandi brought his several years of experience to bear on his role as trainer. An Energy Engineer from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), and a practising Energy Management Outlier with 25 years of implementation experience, Nandi shared the wisdom he had gathered through working on over 200 clean technology projects in the UAE.

Speaking on his experience as a trainer of the course, Nandi said: “Attendees developed their respective corporation’s Energy Management Excellence Model as part of the assignments, thereby already securing a rapid headstart in their decarbonisation journey. Attendees were also able to identify no-cost/low-cost energy conservation measures that their corporations could implement without delay, essentially ensuring that the energy cost savings begin to get accrued even while attending this one-of-its-kind executive course.

“Through the sharing of the case studies of actual energy conservation projects, the attendees were able to relate to their corporation’s circle of concern. This course certainly accelerated not only the learning but also the implementation of corporate energy management programmes that are relevant to each corporation’s unique characteristics and priorities.”

Khawaja Atiq Rehman, QSHE Manager, Al Hoty Stanger Laboratories, was one of the attendees. Speaking of the experience of attending the course, he said he enroled for it with the expectation of learning on sustainability and energy management through listening to practical examples; the course did not disappoint. “When I started this course, I was totally blank about the subject,” he said. “After completing the course, though, I feel the learning will help me introduce a sustainability system in the company and will help reduce cost through effective control of natural resources.”

Another attendee, Rennie Sequeira, General Manager, DC Serve, said: “Unlike other courses, this is designed for all levels – C-suite to operation levels – and encompasses the global and regional industry trends, performance contracting models, skill set of an energy manager, data analysis, economics, regulations, standards and resources needed. Having completed this course, I have a better understanding of the economics of energy management, how to sell energy management services to potential clients and how to ensure the desired outcomes of an energy management programme are achieved. I believe this course is ideal for FM experts, energy management service providers, solution providers and those professionals that are keen on implementing a sustainable development strategy in their organisation.”