Dubai, UAE, 30 September 2018: Etihad Energy Service Company (Etihad ESCO) recently organised a workshop titled ‘Dubai Retrofit and Developers Awareness Program’, to raise awareness about energy efficiency and to discuss ways to address challenges, including financing that impede the widespread adoption of building retrofits, the company said in a Press communiqué.

The building sector currently accounts for a large share of emissions and is responsible for 60-70% of the United Arab Emirate’s electricity consumption, the communiqué said. Achieving 30% reduction by 2030 will require the active cooperation of the developers in the region, the communiqué further said. Highlighting this, the forum underscored the importance of developers and energy service companies working together and the need to retrofit existing buildings, in order to reduce emissions from the building sector, the communiqué further said.

Ali Al Jassim

Ali Al Jassim, CEO, Etihad ESCO, highlighted that almost eight per cent of electricity consumption savings and over four per cent of water consumption savings were achieved in 2017, compared to normal consumption levels, the communiqué said. This corresponds respectively to 3.3 TWh per year of electricity saved, and to 4.9 billion Imperial Gallons per year of desalinated water saved, the communiqué further said. Representatives of Etihad ESCO’s clients presented successful retrofit case studies implemented by the company at their facilities, the communiqué added.

The workshop also discussed the importance of solar in enhancing energy efficiency of buildings, the communiqué said. Etihad ESCO presented successful solar case studies from the region and drew attention to the potential of solar rooftops and car parks, the communiqué further said.

Al Jassim said: “The building sector holds huge potential in the achievement of energy efficiency and in lessening the impact of climate change. A range of structural and architectural changes can be incorporated at the designing stage itself, although, the awareness levels about these possibilities remain quite low. The workshop was successful in engaging developers and other stakeholders in meaningful discussions on topics that pose a hindrance to the adoption of these measures.”