Wednesday, 15th Jul 2009
The Emirates Wildlife Society in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF) and the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD) today shared with the UAE energy saving tips for the summer. Currently residential customers consume the largest share of electricity in the UAE. What’s more, much of this energy is wasted. Very simple changes in our every day habits can easily reduce a households energy consumption by 20% !
“Primarily as a result of increased use of air conditioning, energy consumption in the UAE more than doubles during the summer, resulting in much larger utility bills for all users”, said H.E. Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi, Director of Privatization for the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA).
The Heroes website www.heroesoftheuae.ae is offering residents top practical tips on how to keep cool, while improving the energy efficiency of their homes.
“While it is true that we need to use air conditioning to keep cool in the summer, we can be more thoughtful about our habits by making sure that we reduce wasteful energy consumption. I urge everyone to join heroesoftheuae.ae and follow these simple tips during the summer – you may be pleasantly surprised when you see the results in a greatly reduced energy bill! And you should also feel proud that you are reducing your carbon footprint and helping to tackle climate change,” said Tanzeed Alam, Manager, Climate Change and Sustainability, EWS-WWF.
The campaign website lists the following summer tips to keep cool and save the planet:
- Set your AC thermostat to between 24-25 degrees.
- Turn the AC off in rooms that you are not using and close the doors.
- Although we need AC in the summer, please switch it off when you go out of the house or on holiday. If you want to keep you AC on while you are away, then we recommend that you set it to over 28 degrees celsius for long periods of time
- Close all windows to keep cool air from escaping while the AC is switched on
- If you have a ceiling or a standing fan at home, please use it instead of the AC when you can.
- Close your curtains or blinds to keep out direct sunlight , your home will be much cooler as a result.
- Switch off your water heater in the summer if you don’t need it. Many households have a water tank outdoors, which gets heated directly by the sun, meaning you do not need to use your water heater.
- Hang your clothes out to dry in the summer sun instead of using a dryer. It will be much faster, and will save you energy and money as well.
- Switch off all your appliances at the plug when you leave on your summer holidays. You may not realize that when you leave your appliances on, they are actually consuming energy even though you’re not using them.
- Avoid using high energy consuming devices such as washing machines and dryers during the hottest part of the day (noon and afternoon), which is the peak time for electricity consumption.
The UAE has the highest per capita Ecological Footprint in the world, meaning that if everyone in the world consumed natural resources as an average UAE resident, we would need the equivalent of 4.5 planets to sustain that level of consumption. Over 80% of this footprint is related to carbon dioxide emissions, largely due to fossil fuel-based energy consumption. Rising carbon dioxide emissions could cause global temperatures to rise by over 6 degrees by the end of the century – a level that the planet has not seen for over 20 million years. The UAE is predicted to face hotter summers, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, biodiversity loss, scarcer freshwater, more extreme storms and economic impacts.
Fozeya Al Mahmoud, Manager, Environmental Education department, EAD said, “Households are responsible for over 50% of our ecological footprint, so every person living in the UAE has a unique opportunity to be part of the solution by saving energy in their homes. If we don’t take action today, then the impacts we already seeing and are predicted to face as a result of climate change will be profound. So remember, this summer when you reach for the air conditioner, be a hero and use it wisely to look after our only planet and ensure that our summers do not get any hotter than they already are.”
Heroes of the UAE encourages an ongoing commitment across all levels of UAE society including individuals, businesses and government. This movement through direct engagement via public events, lectures and workshops encourages people to move beyond just talk or symbolic gestures and take imperative action for the sake of our children. Over the coming months the intiative will be launching a water conservation campaign, a schools engagement phase as well as phases tackling the private sector and government institutions. The campaign has been endorsed by the Ministry of Environment and Water and the Ministry of Energy, and sponsored by the ADWEA, Masdar and the Abu Dhabi Media Company.
Please click here for summer tips to save energy, money and the UAE
