Dubai – Mubasher: The Regulatory and Supervisory Bureau for Electricity and Water (RSB Dubai) has revealed that certified energy service companies launched AED 200 million worth of projects to enhance energy efficiency in 2016.

These projects will benefit almost 2,000 buildings in Dubai as part of a renovation programme, which involves retrofitting of energy efficiency measures.

The programme aims to improve the efficiency of energy and water consumption, according to the RSB’s annual report for 2016, released Monday.

Dubai witnessed a rapid growth in the energy efficiency market in 2016, reflecting the growth of this promising sector, the RSB revealed.

The annual report highlighted the significant progress accomplished by Dubai’s independent power system. 

It is expected that RSB-licenced power plants will make up 18% of power generation capacity in Dubai by 2021.

In its report, the RSB emphasised the benefits for water-cooled technology, particularly as cooling accounts for over half of electricity demand.

Water-cooled technology uses recycled, rather than desalinated water, the RSB said, indicating that “cooling systems using recycled water for cooling districts are more efficient in power consumption by 30%, when compared to air-based cooling systems.”