Dubai, UAE: Saying that a typical existing building in the UAE consumes between an estimated 220 and 360 kWh/m²/year of power, Saeed Al Abbar, the Chairman of the Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), added that a possible target for a Net Zero Energy Building (nZEB) in the UAE would be between 40 and 60 kWh/m²/year. Al Abbar was speaking at the EGBC’s Focus Day, held on April 25 at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry building, in Dubai. The event, titled, ‘Zero Energy Buildings: Definitions and Innovations’, also featured a presentation by Graeme Sims, Executive Director of Dubai Regulation & Supervisory Bureau (RSB) and an address by Essa Alzaabi, Senior VP of Support Services, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Referring to his estimate of the power consumption of an nZEB, Al Abbar stressed on the need for caution when it came to raising expectations. “Further studies need to be carried out to see feasibility, so maybe it will be 40, 60 or 100 kWh/m²/year,” he said. “The definition of an nZEB must be flexible towards system boundaries. It is not a case of setting a number and leaving it. There is a need to balance it with other factors, such as economic growth. The overall mission is to decarbonise, and there is a global impetus to mitigate climate emission, which the UAE has signed up for. We are blessed the leadership in the country is pushing for the UAE to be a global leader in sustainable buildings.”

(The writer is the Editor of Climate Control Middle East and the Editorial Director & Associate Publisher of CPI Industry.)