Retrofitting buildings can help achieve cost savings of up to 28% in energy bills

Event to bring together industry professionals and government bodies, including Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Etihad ESCO and RSB, among others

Joint 'Focus Day' by two entities support the 'green economy for sustainable development' initiative

Dubai, UAE; May 25, 2015: Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry are joining hands to host a 'Focus Day' on 'Energy Efficiency - Making Existing Buildings More Efficient', to be held in Dubai on May 26, 2015.

Aimed at highlighting industry best practices to make building more energy-efficient through retrofitting and other measures, the 'Focus Day' will bring together representatives of all stakeholders in the building industry as well as high-ranking representatives of government bodies that drive the sustainable development of Dubai.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, said: "With buildings accounting for significant energy consumption, enhancing the energy efficiency of existing buildings through retrofitting procedures will contribute to achieving our goal to promote a sustainable built environment. According to the International Energy Agency, cost-savings of 28% can be achieved through energy efficient retrofitting.

In addition to the challenges and opportunities to make existing buildings more energy-efficient, the 'Focus Day' will discuss the future trends in retrofitting and the energy management certifications that are needed in the market to promote 'green buildings' and energy efficiency."

According to estimates, in Dubai alone, there are 120,000 buildings of which 30,000 have been identified as having high energy saving potential. The 'Focus Day' will empower industry professionals to undertake the retrofitting of these buildings more efficiently.

"EmiratesGBC has developed an energy efficiency programme that includes a database, which unifies the currently fragmented stakeholders in the energy efficiency sector. However, it is equally important to strengthen the skillsets of professionals within the industry to enable them to undertake effective building retrofits," explained Saeed Al Abbar.

"Through the 'Focus Day', we are presenting a dynamic platform for all industry stakeholders to meet, interact and share information and best practices in enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings. This will also encourage more industry professionals to adopt energy efficiency measures, thus contributing to the sustainability efforts we undertake. We are thankful to Dubai Chamber, which has already set clear benchmarks in built environment sustainability, for their support to the initiative."

Mr Essa Ali Alzaabi, Senior Vice President -Support Services, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry will give opening remarks along with All Abbar from EmiratesGBC.

A highlight of the 'Focus Day' includes a presentation of Etihad ESCO's case study on 'DEWA retrofits.' Panel discussions by industry professionals and government bodies, including Etihad ESCO, RSB and the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, will also be held. Participants of the 'Focus Day' will also have the opportunity to tour Dubai Chamber's LEED certified building.

Moderated by Al Abbar, the first panel session will focus on challenges, successes and lessons learnt from the DEWA retrofits case study. The panellists include: Stephane le Gentil, CEO, Etihad Energy Services Co. LLC; Alfonso D'Andretta, Head of Dubai Systems Center, Africa, MET and RCA Growth Markets, Lighting solutions, Philips Lighting; and Francisco Silverio Marques, Director Business Development & Marketing MAF Dalkia Middle East. They will discuss their learnings from unsuccessful retrofit projects and how retrofit can help optimise the MEP systems and operational processes.

Under the theme 'What comes after retrofit? The future of retrofit,' the second panel session will discuss the success of the forecasts made through the establishment of Etihad ESCO and RSB led regulatory framework. It will cover the penetration of district cooling and market entry opportunities, as well as challenges in securing market finance.

The panellists are: Jagath Gunawardena, Senior Manager, Projects & Buildings & Development, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Stuart Harrison, Support Services Director, Emrill; Graeme Lindsay Sims, Executive Director, RSB Dubai; and Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman, Emirates Green Building Council; with Charles Blaschke, General Manager, Taka Solutions, as the moderator. They will also discuss the benefits of deep retrofit vs. Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

During the last session of the event, moderator Faisal Rashid, Director, Demand Side Management, Supreme Council of Energy, will guide panellists including Prof. Bassam Abdel-Karim Abu-Hijleh, Dean and Atkins Chair Head of the Sustainability MSc & PhD Programmes, Faculty of Engineering and IT, The British University in Dubai; Harry O'Farrell, Commercial Director, Energy Services Ltd.; Jesus Gutierrez, Co-founder and Managing Director, Smart4Power; and James Grinell, Head of Water, RSB Dubai, through different energy management certifications needed in the market.

EmiratesGBC regularly hosts and participates in multinational events, conferences and forums. The organisation has also developed a suite of activities, inclusive of networking events, technical workshops, focus days and facilitated training based around specific issues related to the built-environment that meet the needs of its members, of the UAE community, and the wider Middle East.

About Emirates Green Building Council:
The Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) was founded in June 2006, and became the 8th full member of the World Green Building Council in September 2006. EmiratesGBC is an organization that promotes and educates on green issues in the built environment and is the official body for the UAE endorsed by the World Green Building Council. EmiratesGBC currently has around 260 members in the UAE which represents 1000s of individuals interested and involved in Green Building in the UAE and the region. In addition, EmiratesGBC members receive discounts on a number of programmes such as those related to conferences, seminars, training and green building events.

For further information, please contact:
Kelly Home / Sonia Blanco
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
+9714 4507600
kelly.home@bm.com / sonia.blanco@bm.com

© Press Release 2015