January 31, 2023: The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) conducted an awareness workshop for Dubai Government entities, during which it highlighted in detail the importance of energy retrofits associated with financing solutions and DSCE Directive No. 1 of 2015 regarding building retrofits and audits for government entities. Additionally, DSCE invited Etihad and the Department of Finance (DOF) to share their expertise and underline the significance of energy retrofits to Dubai Government entities.

During the workshop, DOF displayed energy consumption trends and consumption-wise breakdown for Government entities from 2019 to 2022. The department also emphasized a significant transitional change beginning in 2023, which entails Dubai Government entities being responsible for their own energy costs. The workshop highlighted the significant role played by the Etihad Energy Service Company (Etihad ESCO), 100% owned by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), as the company is the Program Manager for Building Retrofits program for Demand Side Management (DSM) 2030 strategy. The Council further underlined the company’s offerings during its latest workshop on energy audits and building retrofits, which will help Dubai Government entities reduce energy costs and support the Emirate’s DSM 2030 strategy.

Etihad ESCO shared its strong portfolio and achievements on Building Retrofits, as it has delivered a range of energy-efficiency offerings to several major entities, including Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), Dubai International Airport, Dubai municipality, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and many more. One of the company's key solutions is its building retrofit services, which will help Dubai lead in the effective management of electricity and water demand, in order to meet the 30 per cent savings target by 2030.

Through building retrofit contract services, the DSCE has set an ambitious target of retrofitting 30,000 buildings, saving 1.4 Terawatt hour (Twh) of electricity and 4.9 billion imperial gallons of water by 2030, which will effectively abate 1 million tons of CO2. Till date, more than 5,300 buildings have been retrofitted, which has resulted in savings of 532 GWh of electricity and 347 MIG of water.

Eng. Faisal Ali Al Rashid, Senior Director, DSM Directorate of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, stated: “With respect to decarbonizing buildings in Dubai, large government consumers must continuously lead by an example and leverage their unique position as role model by taking action on the DSCE directive and reducing to reduce their energy footprint, as the next step. It is also deemed necessary that entities conduct energy audits on all buildings within six months of this workshop. Based on the audit results, buildings can implement the necessary retrofit measures within one year of the audit report to achieve the desired results. It has been noted that retrofit measures, based on the baseline consumption listed in audit reports, can lead to a minimum of a 25 per cent reduction in electricity and water consumption by the end of 2024. This will be a promising step towards improving energy efficiency of existing building stocks, decarbonizing existing buildings and moving closer to the UAE’s net-zero targets.”

Dr. Waleed Al Nuaimi, Acting CEO of Etihad ESCO, said: “At Etihad ESCO, we continue to support the goal of making Dubai one of the world's most sustainable cities. In order to elevate Dubai's built environment to a model of energy efficiency for the region and the world, we aim to actively contribute to the reduction of energy demands, defined by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. In addition, we will  support Dubai’s Government entities towards their energy savings goals.
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