Etisalat and Pacific Control Systems have launched a project that aims to substantially reduce energy consumed by existing buildings in the UAE.

The Emirates Energy Star project was inaugurated by Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, the UAE Minister of Environment, today.

Etisalat and Pacific Control Systems will collaborate, engage and execute the project, a first of its kind in the country. This initiative is an extension of the memorandum of understating signed earlier this year.

The project will champion the cause of improving energy efficiency in existing buildings thereby reducing the overall carbon footprint. The project will leverage on the transformational Machine to Machine (M2M) technology to deliver cost effective, real-time managed energy services.

Abdulla Hashim, senior vice president, Business Solutions at Etisalat, said: “Today worldwide energy consumption is at an all time high and there is immense ecological, social and environmental pressure to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Being one of the leading telecommunications corporations in the region, Etisalat is leading this initiative from the forefront through the ‘Emirates Energy Star’ program, in alliance with Pacific Controls. The program will leverage on green technologies such as M2M, to effectively help reduce the carbon footprint of the country.”

Dilip Rahulan, chairman and CEO, Pacific Control Systems, said: “We are pleased to collaborate with Etisalat to launch the Emirates Energy Star Project. According to available statistics, buildings consume more than 40 per cent of the energy produced in the world. In the UAE, it is estimated that this figure is higher. This is mainly due to cooling and lighting loads within these buildings. The Emirates Energy Star project will plan, engage and execute Managed Energy Services with existing building owners, in order to increase the efficiency of the existing building stock.”

Etisalat clients who are building owners, contractors, real-estate companies, government entities, and infrastructure owners like utilities and airports, can collaborate and leverage the resources of the Emirates Energy Star offering using Etisalat networks and Pacific Controls Command Control Center to optimise their operations, reduce their service costs, increase their return on assets and have the capability to remotely manage them in real time, said a statement.

The Emirates Energy Star program will help building owners with an initial audit that would identify potential Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs). The program will design ECMs for individual buildings; establish minimum costs; calculate the maximum energy savings; implement the project parameters as contractor; provide on-going monitoring and identification of project performance after completion; and carry out measurement and verification of carbon footprint of the building in real time.

The Emirates Energy Star Rating System “Energy Star Award” will be bestowed on participating building owners. It comprises five successive levels, based on the energy efficiency improvements achieved through the Energy Star Program, beginning with a minimum of 10 per cent for one star and ending with five stars for 30 per cent and above.

Apart from the obvious cost savings for the end user in the form of lower energy utility bills, the Emirates Energy Star program will help decrease pollution, water consumption and resultant waste. The building owners will be able to recover their investment towards the program from the savings that they make. The payback period for the building owner would be in the range of 18-24 months depending upon the STAR rating the client opts, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service