Schools in Dubai make progress in reducing carbon emissions
Electricity and water use in schools almost six times less than in 2009
Dubai: Going to school this year had less of an impact on the planet than last year for students, as schools reduced their carbon emissions by more than eight million kilograms.
Electricity and water usage in the education sector in Dubai were almost six times less than in 2009 as the number of schools taking part in a conservation exercise almost doubled, according to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa).
A specially designed award to motivate schools to reduce their water and electricity usage, by educating pupils on the benefits and environmental issues facing the UAE, was launched six years ago, according to Amal Koshak, senior manager in Dewa's Demand and Tariff Management Department.
In 2009, 63 schools were actively monitored as part of the "Conservation Award — For A Better Tomorrow". This year, 121 schools and kindergartens signed up and made significant reductions in their consumption.
Disheartening waste
"During our energy-audit visits we always get to know... about the disheartening enormity of consumption levels and irrational usage of utilities," Amal said.
"There is always room in this area of conservation within the educational sector, for that matter, [for] all electricity and water consumers in Dubai and UAE to minimise [the] needless wastage of our precious resources. Dewa, in collaboration with Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), is continuously studying ways and means to address this critical imperative," she said.
"The campaign's overriding vision is to preserve the UAE's natural resources, reduce electricity and water consumption levels in Dubai, [to levels] below the... worldwide average," Amal added.
Per capita usage
The UAE's per capita water usage has been widely reported at 550 litres annually — compared to a global national average of 250 litres per person each year.
In 2007, during the launch of the National Ecological Footprint Initiative, Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary-General of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), said the Abu Dhabi Government would halve its water consumption rate in the next five years, Gulf News reported.
Schools participating this year saved 117 million imperial gallons of water, the equivalent of 212 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Dewa emphasises efficiency and operation and has submitted guidelines for students and schools' management while raising awareness on the need for rational consumption and use of utilities.
"The consumption density should be almost the same for different schools. However, there is variation due to many reasons such as the age of the building and if the building has been constructed before or after the thermal insulation law [decreed in 2001]," said Koshak.
Other variations impacting the performance of the school depends on the efficiency of the lighting, air conditioning and water equipment, occupancy and how equipment is used, added Koshak.
"By monitoring consumption levels of schools visited the consumption has been significantly reduced. This was possibly achieved only by heeding to our recommendations, implementing some conservation measures, using smart technologies and changing habits. However, a lot more is to be done and we are relentlessly working in this area of intensifying our conservation efforts in Dubai,” she said.
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