Developers seeking accreditation under an international system to evaluate green buildings will soon be required to install meters to monitor energy and water use.
Revisions to Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), an initiative of the US Green Building Council to evaluate green projects, will require developers to fulfil four new conditions starting from November this year.
Two of these require developers to install meters to measure the energy and water use of buildings. Such meters were previously optional.
Developers will also be required to employ strategies to reduce outdoor water use, and separate at site the waste generated during construction and send it for recycling.
The Leed system, used worldwide, is popular in the UAE, especially in Dubai, while buildings in Abu Dhabi mostly rely on Estidama, the emirate's own rating system developed by the Urban Planning Council.
A document detailing revisions to the Leed system, referred to as Leed v4, is publicly available, according to Mario Senevirtane, director of Green Technologies, a Dubai engineering consultancy.
"The core of it [the system] has not changed," said Mr Senevirtane, who helped to develop the system in the late 1990s and teaches engineers from the region how to integrate it into their designs.
In the UAE, Mr Senevirtane has worked on many green projects, many pursuing Leed certification. One of the most recent is the new service centre of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority in Al Quoz.
The building was awarded platinum, the highest of four classifications under Leed, and has more points - 98 - than any other project in the region under the system.
The maximum number of points the system can award is 110.
Of the new requirements to install metering devices, Mr Senevirtane said that doing so cost relatively little for developers, but could lead to significant savings of energy and water.
"If you are trying to improve something, then you need to know where you are at," he said.
The issue of metering is particularly important in the UAE, he said, as "there are large buildings in Dubai that are metered jointly or that have no meters at all".
For developers who want to go the extra mile, Mr Senevirtane recommends not only measuring a building's overall energy and consumption but also measuring the energy required for cooling, lighting and other uses, as well as the water required for domestic, irrigation and for cooling towers.
"The new version takes into consideration everything we have learnt in the past years," said Mr Senevirtane.
"They are obviously trying to make the system more user-friendly and more effective."
vtodorova@thenational.ae
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6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (Turf) 1,000m
7.40pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (D) 2,200m
8.15pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
10pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m
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Results
2.30pm: Expo 2020 Dubai – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Barakka, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
3.05pm: Now Or Never – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: One Idea, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.40pm: This Is Our Time – Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Perfect Balance, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Visit Expo 2020 – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Kaheall, Richard Mullen, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.50pm: The World In One Place – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1.900m; Winner: Castlebar, Adrie de Vries, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm: Vision – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Al Wasl Plaza – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Jadwal, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
Company%20profile%20
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Scores
Scotland 54-17 Fiji
England 15-16 New Zealand
RACECARD
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m
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7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
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Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
What is double taxation?
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- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
The specs
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Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
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