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SYSK: Energy Savers

by Hannah-Farah Abdulla on Feb 12, 2012

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Slashing energy costs is becoming of key importance to FMs in the region. A report from GE stated no region has experienced a greater boom in its energy consumption demand than the Middle East.

Compared with 2007, the most recent year for which data is available through the International Energy Agency and the World Bank, Oman’s energy appetite has grown by 135.9%, closely followed by Qatar at 112.9% and then Iran at 95.9%. Saudi Arabia stands at 61.8%.

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But with the UAE having one of the highest per capita water-consumption rates in the world, just how easy is it to make the switch to sustainable?

While much is being done, including the retrofitting of water flow reduction devices in 300 mosques in Abu Dhabi, it is clear there is a long way to go. Many of the product options available on the market would work better if they were considered during the concept stages of a project, rather than when the building is established.

But there’s nothing to say that they can’t benefit an existing building once implemented. The Dutch Embassy in Jordan added 36 solar panels to its roof which are providing a small percentage of electricity in the building. Similarly, the building implemented strategies for efficient water use in the sinks and WCs with the aim of reducing water use by 30%. As a result, the building has become the first in the country to be certified LEED silver.

But the fact remains that energy is cheap in the Middle East and so it a change in attitudes is essential if sustainability is a realistic objective. Experts at last year’s CW Sustainability Conference said the key to successful operation of an efficient building is to get the buy in of everyone involved.

The time is now, believe sustainability experts, to start taking advantage of energy efficient products available on the market, particularly if the region is to reap the benefits of the sustainability goals it has put in place.

RWN Trading, TrippLite, Jotun PowderCoatings, DIEHL ME, Johnson Controls and TS Middle East share info on the latest energy saving devices.

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