Huge attendance at definitive EEA energy efficiency workshops

In line with this, Emirates Energy Awards, an initiative of Dubai Quality Group, is hosting a series of comprehensive workshops on energy efficiency.

The first workshop was hosted at the Le Meridian Dubai Hotel on 13 October, followed by the second seminar, from 14 to 16 October, at the same venue. The third workshop in the series, which can still be applied for, will be held at the Millennium hotel in Sharjah from 18-20 October.

The initial one day workshop, aimed at managers and management teams, was opened by Dr. Abdalla Al Amiri, Chairman of the Emirates Energy Award.

The core focus of this seminar was to provide managers with the necessary tools to improve the energy efficiency of their businesses, introducing them to the latest energy saving initiatives for commercial and industrial facilities, and providing case study results to demonstrate the marked energy savings already achieved.

Included in the broad range of topics discussed at the workshop, led by Dr. Scott Dunning, Executive Director at the University of Maine Advanced Manufacturing Center, was the strategic determination of building upgrades, common causes of poor performance, integration of employee and staff assistance, lighting improvement, building improvement, load reduction, distribution of facilities and heating and cooling systems.

Additional topics included the need for green building, sustainable development, Energy Star, the economy, global warming and other issues, as well as the establishment of energy management initiatives and related topics.

According to Professor Mohammed Dulaimi Al Azzawi, Awareness Programmes Coordinator at Emirates Energy Awards, the workshop was intended to assist management terminals in all business sectors to identify and implement measures for reducing energy consumption.

He said:

"The aim was to increase awareness of the necessity for rationing energy and adopting national standards for conducting business on a far more energy efficient and environmentally friendly basis."

The second and third workshops, both three-day training sessions for technical professionals, will also cover a broad spectrum of topics ranging from conducting an energy audit and energy purchasing, to maintenance programs and sustainable energy savings.

A large number of delegates are expected to attend the sessions, with numerous major organizations being represented.

Workshop leader, Dr. Scott Dunning, is a recognized expert on energy efficiency and is one of six key instructors for the Association of Energy Engineers providing training for Certified Energy Managers. Dr. Dunning has led over 200 industrial assessments of various facilities throughout New England and has authored numerous papers and articles on industrial energy efficiency.