Dubai : Many building owners are still reluctant to retrofit their buildings failing to see the profits of going sustainable, but there are those who are setting an example in Dubai.
"Many developers in the UAE don't bother to make their buildings efficient and rather spend the extra dirham on operating costs. The government should create a fair payment system for energy and services and maybe give out grants to encourage building green," said Professor Bassam Abdul Karim Abu Hijleh, dean and Atkins chair, head of sustainable design of the built environment programme at the faculty of engineering and IT, British University of Dubai.
Tecom Investments Sustainable Energy and Environment Division (Seed) is treading and promoting the ‘green' path. The company has saved as much Dh14.4 million already in one year over 80 Tecom buildings and expects to exceed Dh60 million in savings by the end of this year.
Retrofit cost fears are largely unwarranted and indeed could have a positive effect on the economy as much as the environment via employment creation, said Sougat Nandi, executive director of asset management and sustainable development, Tecom Business Parks Operations.
"Sometimes yes, there is an expense for example if fresh air needs to be let into buildings. But companies need to understand that occupant health increases productivity and more than compensates for the investment," he added.
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) started retrofitting its headquarters on Dubai Creek before most had even heard of going ‘green'.
Jagath Gunawardena, manager projects and building development at DCCI, said it does not cost an arm and a leg to do so.
"There is no need to pull the building apart. We used 80 per cent of our building resources and materials. Environmentally friendly buildings are not as expensive as commonly thought, there is no need to burn a hole in the pocket but one can manage with the operating budget," he added.
As per Green Building Council figures a sustainable building brings with it a decrease in capital cost of 8 per cent to 9 per cent, an expected return on investment of 6.6 per cent and an increase of 7.5 per cent in value.
A reduction of 29 per cent of energy is possible in green buildings. "We even managed to reduce our consumption by 47 per cent since 1998. The $193 million (Dh709 million) saved over the years I can now invest into greener technologies for further savings," added Gunawardena.
The DCCI building now uses less than 120 kilowatt per hour per square metre a year, which is half of the consumption of a comparable building in the UAE at 250 and less than the 125 in the US.
The savings were achieved by turning off lights and air-conditioning at night, compensation capture to irrigate landscaping, the same reducing the heat island effects.