Services

Here you will find details of our accreditation schemes for energy service companies (ESCOs) and energy auditors – how to apply and information about the companies we have accredited. You can also learn more about our work in licensing electricity generators and water desalinators. And we describe our work in efficient cooling – district cooling for large urban developments and initiatives to raise the efficiency of all forms of cooling.

ESCO Accreditation

The ESCO Accreditation scheme is intended to encourage the development of a flourishing energy services sector. This scheme aims to give prospective clients confidence in contracting with ESCOs by recognizing companies which have appropriately qualified personnel, effective management of health and safety, and the equipment needed to identify energy saving opportunities.

Accreditation is available on a “Full” or “Provisional” basis. Full accreditation is for ESCOs with a track record of Energy Performance Contract (EPC) projects in the UAE. Provisional accreditation allows ESCOs that do not yet have the required track record of project delivery to achieve full accreditation to nevertheless be recognized for their EPC capability, meeting all the other requirements of the scheme.

The decision to accredit ESCOs is made by an accreditation board which assesses applications according to the criteria set out in the application process. The accreditation board is chaired by the RSB and has representation from the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Etihad Energy Services, Dubai’s “super-ESCO”.

Energy Auditor Accreditation

An energy audit is the foundation for effective retrofit work. It is an inspection, survey and analysis of energy flows in a building, process or system to reduce the amount of energy input into the system without negatively affecting the output(s). As a result it offers at a minimum a description of the building, its characteristics and its envelope, details of its energy and water consumption and costs, and subsequently recommendations for adequate technical and organizational measures to increase the energy efficiency of the audited building.

Licensing Electricity Generation

Dubai long retained a vertically integrated power and water sector in which Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) owned and operated all power production and water desalination plants, in addition to the associated transmission and distribution networks. In the past decade Dubai has permitted private sector participation – both small scale plant developed by industrial customers to meet their own needs and partnerships with the private sector in large-scale electricity and water production projects.In line with Dubai’s strategy of diversifying its electricity generation fuel mix, Law No 6 of 2011 establishes a framework for private sector participation in the water and electricity sector. Independent power producers, licensed by the RSB, are playing an increasing role in Dubai’s power sector. They have to meet technical standards contained in the IWPP Code and, where applicable, the Renewables Standards. Dubai’s power grid is already receiving renewable electricity from IPPs and expects the contribution of clean coal soon. DEWA remains the single buyer from these projects.

Licensing Water Desalination

Dependence on cogeneration plant that both generate electricity and desalinate water has served the UAE well through the past 50 years or more, but its share of production is expected to decline as more efficient technologies, in particular solar PV and reverse osmosis (RO) desalination, are increasingly added to the power and water system.

Regulating Efficient Cooling

Cooling is Dubai’s major energy use and features in many of the DSM Strategy’s programmes. The RSB leads on Programme 4: Efficient Cooling. On the supply side it aims to improve the efficiency with which cooling energy is produced and delivered to consumers. On the demand side it seeks to improve the experience for customers of district cooling through regulation of the sector.

Building Energy Management Accreditation

The Building Energy Management Accreditation Scheme aims to raise awareness of the important role good Energy Management companies play in delivering energy efficient operation of Dubai’s buildings. It does so by recognizing those that can demonstrate they have assembled people, processes and systems and have delivered energy efficiency for their clients as a result. We anticipate the scheme will prove a useful guide to building owners concerned to minimize their energy costs and maximize financial returns on their buildings. With energy and water charges typically representing half of the service charges in a building, this is a vital area for management improvement.