Dubai, UAE: Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE), has invited Dubai-based hotels, shopping malls and schools to take part in a ‘Benchmarking Project’ to assess their building efficiency.

The ‘Benchmarking Project’, an announcement on EmiratesGBC’s website said, follows a partnership announced between EmiratesGBC and DSCE in 2016 to support the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA), an initiative under the ‘Sustainable Energy for All’ (SE4All) led by the United Nations Secretary-General, and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The project, the announcement explained, aims to measure the energy performance of 100 buildings in Dubai in the three focus groups – hotels, malls and schools. DSCE, the announcement highlighted, is reaching out to its partners to extend its support to the project and mark the first BEA demonstration project in Dubai, which will serve as a referral point in driving forward the energy efficiency of buildings in the city, and double the rate of efficiency by 2030.

“The Benchmarking Project,” Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, said, “is a major step towards mapping the energy use efficiency of existing buildings in Dubai. The findings will not only help in undertaking relevant retrofitting measures but will also support policy making in relation to sustainable buildings.”

Commenting further, H.E. Ahmed Butti Mehairbi, Secretary General of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, added: “As a member of the BEA programme, we are taking tangible action to promote energy efficiency in our urban built environments and contribute to achieving the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.”

The announcement informed that those interested in participating in the project – owners and operators of Dubai hotels, malls and schools – can contact the EmiratesGBC office or email to BEA@emiratesgbc.org.