Houses for Emirati families to be environmentally-friendly

Abu Dhabi: A number of housing complexes being built in the northern emirates hope to help inhabitants reduce their carbon footprint by about 30 per cent, a senior housing expert said in the capital on Monday.

These housing complexes, which are being developed for Emirati families by the Shaikh Zayed Housing Programme (SZHP), use environmentally-friendly materials such as solar water heaters and efficient water valves, said Abdullah Al Khaddiem, chief executive officer at the SZHP.

“Given the increasing demand for housing across the UAE, the development of long-lasting future housing units must consider sustainability and environmental impact,” Al Khaddiem told Gulf News.

“An average individual produces 10,000 kilograms (kg) of carbon dioxide a year. By making simple changes, we hope to reduce this carbon footprint by about 3,160 kg per person per year,” he added.

Al Khaddiem was speaking on the sidelines of the Future Housing Summit in Abu Dhabi, which saw real estate experts and government officials discuss trends and challenges in the sector. Experts at the two-day forum also called upon residents to acknowledge that the maintenance costs of housing are minimised via environmentally-friendly methods.

The SZHP, which was established in 1999, aims to provide stable housing for Emirati families by building residential complexes, and providing loans or grants to eligible beneficiaries. Their focus on reducing the carbon footprint, which is generally used as a measure of greenhouse gas emissions, is reflected in the project in Sharjah’s Seyouh 7 area. The complex consists of 409 villas, each with two to four bedrooms.

“Within these villas, we are replacing normal water heaters with solar panels on the roof, which reduce energy consumption by up to 70 per cent. Efficient water valves, on the other hand, will reduce water consumption by about 60 per cent for residents in the complex,” Al Khaddiem explained.

Thermal bricks

In addition, the villas are being built with thermal bricks that keep out the heat, while double glazing of windows further helps keep the houses cool.

“Thermal bricks are nearly double the price of normal bricks, but they bring about long-term cost savings in terms of keeping the houses cool,” the SZHP official said.

The water condensed from air conditioning units will also be reused for irrigation in the Sharjah housing complex, while energy-efficient lights will be installed.

“This project will be completed by the end of the year [2013], while another similar housing complex in Fujairah’s Dibba area, with more than 400 houses, is due for completion by 2014,” Al Khaddiem said.

Other environmentally-friendly complexes are also planned for development in Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah. In Abu Dhabi’s Al Gharbia area (Western Region), the SZHP has also previously built 200 villas for Emiratis, which were constructed under the emirate of Abu Dhabi’s Estidama (sustainability) standards.

Asked about the commercial viability of using expensive but environmentally-sustainable materials, Al Khaddiem said that potential residents were happy when informed about the reduced carbon footprint of the buildings.

“Once they are inhabited, we will also conduct further studies to see exactly how effective the design is in reducing carbon emissions,” he said.