Dubai: Mohammad Hassan Ahmad Al Fardan made a few tweaks in his home — to cut his utility bills — and in the process transformed it into an ‘ideal’ and sustainable abode. On Sunday, he drove home in a brand new electric car as a reward for his efforts.
Al Fardan, a consultant at Dubai Municipality, bagged the first prize for the Ideal Home initiative by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) on Sunday.
“The idea is to be simple. That is very important. You don’t need a lot of things in your house. I applied all the knowledge I know when it comes to sustainability and made my home just that. I replaced all my light bulbs with LED, installed an automatic irrigation system, ensured proper ventilation, among other changes,” Al Fardan told Gulf News during the awards ceremony.
Nine other winners were honoured at a ceremony launched by Dewa, in collaboration with nine government agencies in Dubai.
Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa, honoured the winners. He was joined by Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai (GDRFA); Khalifa Hassan Al Drai, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services; Ahmad Abdul Karim Julfar, Director-General of the Community Development Authority (CDA), and Major General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commandant for Criminal Investigations Affairs at Dubai Police, besides other senior government officials.
Al Tayer said the Ideal Home initiative aims to raise customer awareness about the best practices for an ideal home environment.
“This is done by establishing a culture of using electricity and water sensibly to contribute to environmental protection, enhancing air quality, adopting health and safety measures, participating in voluntary and social work, abiding by the law, registering in smart services, as well as other sustainable living practices that contribute to building an ideal society in Dubai,” Al Tayer said.
Major General Rashid Thani Al Matroushi, Director General of Dubai Civil Defence, said an ‘Ideal Home’ is one that is risk-free, where the safety of all its inhabitants is priority.
Some 200 homes took part in the second Ideal Home initiative. Out of these, 60 were shortlisted based on the criteria set by the partners. The government agencies conducted a total of 180 field visits, with an average of three visits per home, in addition to several workshops and awareness campaigns.
The first stage included energy efficiency audits to all nominated homes in cooperation with Taqati. Each home was provided with an energy efficiency report that included energy and water saving tips tailored to the consumption of each house. In the second stage, partners collaborated to organise visits to raise awareness. In the third and final phase, the homes were evaluated and 10 ideal homes were selected.
Al Fardan’s three-bedroom villa received a 100 per cent rating from Dubai Police, ambulance services, Dubai Smart Government, CDA, and GDRFA. He received 75 per cent to 95 per cent from other agencies.
The second placer, Ahmad Abdullah Saeed Abdullah won a cash prize of Dh20,000 while Zuhair Abdullah Ahmad came third and received Dh15,000.
Winners from 4th to 10th place received cash prizes of Dh10,000 each. In addition, solar panels will be installed on the rooftops of the ten winners’ houses.
During the ceremony, Dewa also honoured its partners in the initiative: Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, the Community Development Authority, and the Smart Dubai Government Establishment.
