Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group discusses importance of effective energy

The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group, ADSG, a public-private partnership for the benefit of sustainable development, on Wednesday, hosted a Hiwar discussion on ‘Effective Energy Management Best Practices’ that was attended by members of the group and experts from various sectors of sustainability in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Attended by over 130 senior-level professionals from different sectors and industries, the interactive session was organised with the support of the Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi, EAD, in partnership with the Energy Institute, EI, a globally renowned-chartered institute for the energy industry.

During the session, key energy-efficiency concepts were introduced and attendees were provided with practical guidance on effectively manage energy within their organisations to help save energy, reduce operational costs and carbon emissions, comply with international standards and meet environmental goals.

The Hiwar Session brought together industrial psychologists and energy management specialists to understand ways to change energy-efficiency behaviour. The four experts that participated in this session are Humaid Kanji, Environmental Economist at EAD, Chris Burgess, Chartered Engineer and Lead Trainer at the EI, and Tahir Hakim, a qualified Chartered Engineer, Chartered Environmentalist and Honorary Chairman of the EI Middle East. In addition to Will Sadler, Head of International Operations at the EI, who facilitated the session as a moderator.

Huda Al Houqani, Director of ADSG, said, "During this session, we reviewed the key concepts of energy efficiency and provided participants with practical guidance for effective energy on setting energy policy where they learnt how to use international standards to drive operational excellence in energy efficiency. The participants also took part in an interactive exercise designed to showcase the value of staff awareness in energy and how energy behaviours can be changed, in addition to tips on how to conduct a simple walk-round energy audit.

"Organisations across all sectors need to have policies and plans to manage their energy consumption thereby ensuring a reduction in their related carbon emissions to support local and global efforts. We hope that through training, ADSG members will be able to improve their capability to achieve energy efficiency in their facilities, make more sustainable energy choices and reduce their carbon emissions," she added.

With the aim of implementing effective steps, providing vivid examples of ways to enhance energy efficiency, and supporting demonstrable reduction and behavioural change, ADSG will launch a joint initiative with all the residents of Al Mamoura Building block (A).

Will Sadler, Head of International Operations at EI said, "The Middle East is a key region for the global work of the Energy Institute and we welcome the opportunity to bring our market-leading energy-efficiency expertise to Abu Dhabi.

"Typically, even low or no-cost energy-efficiency activities can reduce energy expenses by at least 10 percent. This programme will introduce key energy-efficiency concepts and provide practical guidance towards effectively managing energy to save energy, reduce operational costs and lower carbon emissions.

"We look forward to working with these important government departments to raise awareness of energy efficiency in Abu Dhabi and to build a network of energy-efficiency champions," he added.