WAM Abu Dhabi, 13th May 2012 (WAM): Continuing the success of the Emirates Energy Star project launched last December by Etisalat in partnership with Pacific Controls, Dubai Municipality recently confirmed their participation in the program. The project, which aims to reduce carbon footprint levels in the country, has already received overwhelming support and endorsements from public sector and private sector enterprises across the UAE.

The Emirates Energy Star project is being rolled out across the country under the patronage of the Ministry of Water and Environment, Government of UAE. The project harnesses the machine-to-machine (M2M) technology from Etisalat, to substantially reduce energy consumption for organizations. As part of this unique project, Etisalat and Pacific Controls are reducing greenhouse gas emissions of the UAE by retrofitting existing commercial and government buildings with energy saving controls systems. The project is capable of achieving energy savings of 10-35 per cent.

"The UAE has already committed to reduce the carbon footprint of the country by 20 per cent by 2015," said Abdulla Al Ahmed, Senior Vice President, Business Solutions at Etisalat. "Through the Emirates Energy Star project, we are now able to offer companies and government organizations a real opportunity to contribute to a more energy-efficient business environment.

"Statistics available with the United Nations Environment Program have revealed that currently, buildings are responsible for 60 percent of the world's electricity consumption and one-third of greenhouse emissions from energy use. Consequently, no other sector has such a high potential for drastic emission reduction. We believe that in partnership with Pacific Controls, Etisalat can make a genuine and measurable impact on energy-efficiency in buildings and offices," Al Ahmed added.

Commenting on the partnership with the Emirates Energy Star project, Eng Juma Al Fuqae, Director of General Maintenance Department at Dubai Municipality, said: "We are pleased to partner with Etisalat and Pacific Controls on this strategic initiative, which will not only benefit organizations such as ours in terms of energy saving but also help the UAE deliver on its commitment to carbon footprint reduction. As a key provider of public utility services, Dubai Municipality is determined to make its operations more environment-friendly and carry forward the sustainability agenda in the Emirate. We look forward to working with Etisalat and Pacific Controls over the coming months." The program implementation will begin at Dubai Municipality's Al Twar building centre and upon successful completion, will be rolled out in the rest of DM buildings and assets.

Al Fuqae added: "Using Etisalat networks and Pacific Controls Command Control Center, the Emirates Energy Star initiative will support Dubai Municipality in reducing its utilities consumption and service costs, while increasing the operational efficiency of its assets with the ability to remotely manage them in real time." Furthermore, apart from the obvious cost savings in the form of lower energy utility bills, the Emirates Energy Star program will help the organization decrease pollution, water consumption and resultant waste. The municipality will recover their investment towards the program from the savings they make. The average payback period for a building owner is in the range of 18-24 months depending upon the rating opted for by a client.

The Emirates Energy Star project is open to all Etisalat clients, who are building owners, contractors, real-estate companies, government entities, and infrastructure owners. Apart from Dubai Municipality, enterprise customers of Etisalat that have recently signed for Emirates Energy Star program include Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Al Ansari Real Estate, First Gulf Bank, Jumeirah Plaza, and Danat Al Nahda.

WAM/TF