Ted Jacob

Dubai, UAE, 7 October 2018: “A Net Zero Energy Building produces as much energy as it consumes over the course of the year,” said Ted Jacob, President, Ted Jacob Engineering, during his presentation at the recent Building Healthcare Innovation and Design conference, in Dubai. He began his talk by pointing to the renewable energy strategies put forward by various governments. Mentioning a few targets, he said that in the United Arab Emirates 44% of projects will use renewable energy by 2050, Saudi Arabia is aiming for 10% by 2023 and Kuwait for 15% by 2030. In terms of fossil fuel reserves, he said, globally we have 55 years of fossil fuel and in the Middle East there are 40 years of fossil fuel reserves, available.

Mentioning some of the company’s completed projects, Jacob said: “What we did at Cleveland Clinic was very impressive. The top floor was a patient floor and instead of dumping the exhaust air outside, we dumped it between the glass curtain walls.” This, Jacob said, created a thermal effect inside the room, while also conserving energy. He highlighted that 15-20% of energy can be saved by using displacement air ventilation.

Jacob concluded, “Innovation is key to achieving energy efficiency and, if taken step by step, beginning with low-voltage systems, in medical, lighting and air-handling units, then we can hope to achieve the Net Zero goal in the next 10-20 years.”