FAB Properties announced an agreement with Abu Dhabi Energy Services earlier this week to retrofit properties to help deliver better energy efficiency.
This is a significant partnership. FAB Properties runs a large portfolio of 20,000 properties and is a division of the UAE’s largest bank, while Ades is part of Taqa, the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, and specialises in developing sustainable practices.
Officials at this week’s signing ceremony said they would introduce the latest energy saving techniques into FAB Properties’ portfolio and that the deal would deliver reductions in water and electricity usage and CO2 emissions.
It chimes with the country’s broader stated energy and emissions goals.
Last year, the UAE made a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050, becoming the first Arabian Gulf state to make that pledge in the process. The UAE will also host the UN Cop28 global climate talks next year.
FAB Properties deserves praise for seeking to find reductions in emissions and in reducing energy waste, but achieving the 2050 goals will require concerted action from all sectors of society, including encouraging residents to take the train when Etihad Rail begins operating passenger services in years to come and switching to more energy efficient transport more generally.
Traditionally, policymakers around the world have raised energy tariffs in an effort to reduce consumption. The UAE’s petrol prices have been linked to the oil price per barrel since 2015. Fuel prices at the pump rose by 10 per cent on Tuesday after their regular monthly review by the Fuel Price Committee.
While there will always be discussion about making changes to the domestic electricity and water tariffs for consumers, and generally prices are low in this country, the current energy crisis in Europe, fuelled by political uncertainty in eastern Europe, shows there are potential pitfalls in high tariffs as a starting point
In the UK, for instance, wholesale gas prices are significantly higher than they were at the beginning of 2021, which has translated into energy bills that have also risen sharply as a consequence.
There may, however, be other ways to help us towards energy saving, rather than raising consumption tariffs to curb consumption.
One idea would be to incentivise private landlords and tenants to make energy-saving improvements to houses and flats, whether that is via installing better glazing to deflect heat and improve the efficiency of air conditioning systems or via the installation of rooftop solar panels to heat water tanks or, even, by swapping out sanitaryware for more efficient water saving options.
Today’s energy bills are full of information about consumption habits and how these compare to previous months
Currently, there are few motivations for landlords, especially private owners, to make these changes to their properties when these represent costs rather than tangible financial benefits. Tenants may also feel that they do not want to fund this sort of work from their own pocket if they are not sure how long they will live in a property.
Inevitably, that leads to a stasis, in which, by definition, houses get older and dwellings become progressively less energy efficient. Incentivising change through subsidy would help change that narrative.
In the data driven world we live in, today’s energy bills are full of information about consumption habits and how these compare to previous months. Those statistics can help move us forward.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority said this week that its high-usage alert system had saved its customers more than Dh400m in the past three years, by quickly diagnosing leaks and defects and sending notifications to consumers when higher than normal usage was identified. That type of intervention also reduces strain on the grid.
Schemes also exist for some customers to upgrade inefficient air conditioning units in properties with the help of subsidies and grants. If such initiatives were more widely adopted they would serve two purposes. First, more efficient units would mean less demand on the network and lower bills for consumers. Second, it would encourage private landlords to shift from a default ‘no maintenance’ mindset into a place where housing stock, whether old or new, uses modern energy saving technology. It is in everyone’s interests for this to happen.
With more people buying property – Dubai registered Dh300bn worth of property transactions last year and Abu Dhabi stock has risen to its highest value in five years driven by demand – those mindsets may organically change in time if owner-occupiers are keen to save money on their household bills or improve their property. They may not, of course, especially if a landlord is absent or stubbornly refuses to consider updating their property.
Building regulations could also play a part. Some properties may still get finished with poorly fitted windows or energy inefficient fixtures. Enforcement may hold the key here, by holding contractors to the highest standards and ensuring that every new build is not signed off until it is fit for the future.
Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City has led the way in that regard for years, with its buildings being energy efficient and attaining high standards in green certification. In addition, Aldar has also recently announced its intention to build a sustainable city on Yas island. New builds are important but can only carry us so far.
Greater energy efficiency will deliver gains across our economy. If we are to make those steps forward, they may well need to start from home.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
The years Ramadan fell in May
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog:
Favourite book: The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
Pet Peeve: Racism
Proudest moment: Graduating from Sorbonne
What puts her off: Dishonesty in all its forms
Happiest period in her life: The beginning of her 30s
Favourite movie: "I have two. The Pursuit of Happiness and Homeless to Harvard"
Role model: Everyone. A child can be my role model
Slogan: The queen of peace, love and positive energy
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
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Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Golden Shoe top five (as of March 1):
Harry Kane, Tottenham, Premier League, 24 goals, 48 points
Edinson Cavani, PSG, Ligue 1, 24 goals, 48 points
Ciro Immobile, Lazio, Serie A, 23 goals, 46 points
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, Premier League, 23 goals, 46 points
Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, 22 goals, 44 points
