(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The support of banks and financial institutions, and government intervention are required to retrofit green technology in existing commercial and residential buildings in the UAE, said Adnan Sharafi, Chairman of the Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC).
Several schemes to facilitate this retrofitting is already in place. "It was supposed to have been rolled out by now but we need the support of banks for the same," stated Sharafi.
He was speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the one-day Energy Savers UAE Conference organised by Powerful Solutions on Tuesday.
Sharafi said in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, there has been a considerable rise in the number of green buildings in both commercial and residential areas.
"Two years back, the UAE had the highest (carbon) footprint per capita in the world and today we are at number three. Our goal is to be the fastest five countries in the world by 2015 to cut down the footprint," said Sharafi.
Government regulations and their enforcement are a very important component to a sustainable future. There are several components that help making a building more sustainable. "Bringing about changes in the electromechanical function, building fabric, building physics, ventilation, and leakage of the building can lead to at least a 20 to 30 per cent decrease in consumption of power," said Sharafi.
The conference gained support from partners such as the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), EmiratesGBC, Dubai Quality Group and Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council. The event saw participation from students from local universities as well.
"Complementing the country's plans to promote energy-efficiency platforms and environmental-sustainability practices, the event generated strong response from various stakeholders," said Ravinder Bhan, principal consultant at Powerful Solutions.
"The pilot series has helped create an in-depth understanding on technical aspects on energy savings and practical applications that are valuable for policymakers," he said.
Bhan added that with another upcoming conference slated for December, Power Solutions aims to support regulating bodies in building the required framework to encourage investment.
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