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Facilities Management Expo opens at Dubai World Trade Centre.

 
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4 Jun 2006

Businesses in Dubai could cut their energy bills by a third by involving facilities management companies at the design stage of their new buildings, a leading energy management specialist claimed today (4 June). Khaled Bushnaq, CEO of Energy Management Services who work with big name developers such as Emaar, addressed an audience of architects, developers and other key figures within the property industry at FM EXPO, the first trade show in the Middle East to focus specifically on facilities management (FM).

During his seminar headlined Smart Properties Bushnaq, outlined the ways in which technology can help reduce the consumption of water, electricity and gas, saving companies money and helping them become more environmentally friendly. “There are many ways of helping businesses cut consumption that do not impact on the working environment in the slightest,” says Bushnaq.

“EMS is concerned with refining systems within a building to eliminate wastage. With existing facilities our team of engineers carry out an energy audit which identifies areas where energy use is ineffective. By addressing this through technology and by refining systems we can typically help a company cut its energy bill by a third.”

Khaled Bushnaq, CEO of EMS
Khaled Bushnaq, CEO of EMS

But according to Bushnaq much bigger cost savings can be made if energy management companies are involved in the design of a facility. For example EMS was able to bring down the capital costs of Dubai’s Al Bateen Tower by US$ 2.2 Million and cut its annual operational costs by US$ 190,000.

He said: “By involving us at the design stage of a project, companies are able to make big capital savings from day one as we can assess what equipment is needed and how it can be incorporated into the design of the building in the most cost effective way. For example, when we worked on the Sharjah Downtown Centre we discovered that they didn’t need as many chiller units as they had originally budgeted for.” Bushnaq added that EMS had chosen to exhibit at FM EXPO as the company hopes to extend its relationships with the regions FM providers. “Facilities Management and Energy Management are two disciplines which really complement one another. By working together at the inception of a project we can help companies save money across the spectrum,” he said.

Organised by Streamline Marketing Group with dmg world media, FM EXPO is in its first year. The show is taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 11am to 7pm each day until the 6th June and all the big names in facilities management have stands including Emcor Facilities Services, MAF Dalkia Middle East, Serco, Emrill Services and Currie & Brown.



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