Etisalat, Pacific Controls launch Emirates Energy Star Program

In commemoration of the UAE’s 40^th national day celebration, leading telecom service provider Etisalat in conjunction with Pacific Controls launched the Emirates Energy Star (EES) Program at a glittering ceremony at the Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi last evening.

“The launch of the Emirates Energy Star program is a testament to the government’s commitment to creating a sustainable future through creating awareness of environmental conservation and sustainable practices across both the public and private sector to combat the effects of global warming and pollution,” said Abdulla Ebrahim Al Ahmed, Senior Vice President, Business Solutions at Etisalat during his welcome note.

Buildings contribute to approximately 60% of the nation’s carbon emissions and the EES Program will focus on delivering managed energy services to business owners in accordance with both local and international sustainability standards. In its efforts the Program will look to drive the adoption of information and communication technology to reduce energy and electricity consumption, green house gas emissions and depletion of fossil fuels and natural resources.

The EES Program was officially launched by HE Dr.Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad, minister of environment and water, UAE.

David A Gottfried, founder and first staff president of the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) said, “The idea is to use ICT to enable global efficiency through intelligent power savings. These efforts will be supplemented by benchmarking standards and guidelines that taken into account global best sustainable practices.”

According to Al Ahmed, EES, which is open to all building owners in the UAE, will not only benefit the environment but will also enable massive savings in costs associated with energy consumption and maintenance.

The EES Program will initially focus on 200,000 buildings occupied by corporate and government enterprises and focus on five core areas beginning with energy analysis, carbon emission analysis, measurement and verification, fault detection and diagnostics and continuous commissioning of building systems, according to Etisalat.