Working from home could create surge in Gulf's AC bills and emissions


Daniel Bardsley
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  • Arabic

In centuries past, there was a seasonal pattern to life in the Gulf.

Winters were spent by the coast, while during the hottest parts of the year, refuge from the humidity was sought in tents in the desert or at oases such as Al Ain.

From about the 1950s, however, the oil boom changed the region and the development of air conditioning freed residents from climatic constraints.

Today, society in the Gulf depends more than ever on the cooling breeze of air conditioners, and energy consumption rocketed as a result.

Air conditioning on the rise

Between 1990 and 2016, according to World Bank figures, the amount of energy used to cool spaces in the Middle East jumped five-fold, from 25 terawatt-hours to 125 TWh. Air conditioning accounts for as much as 70 per cent of UAE electricity consumption.

“Gulf countries are consuming the majority of their electricity generation capacity in the air conditioning of buildings, and the hotter the weather gets, the less efficient the cooling process becomes and hence we consume more and more,” said Prof Amin Al Habaibeh, professor of intelligent engineering systems at Nottingham Trent University in the UK.

And that weather is getting ever hotter, with global temperatures increasing by about 0.2°C per decade, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The whole process is generating millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide every year

In the Gulf – already one of the hottest and most humid parts of the world, with the mercury having reached 53.9°C at a meteorological station in Kuwait in 2017 – climate change is a particular concern, because the world’s hottest and coldest places are warming fastest.

But it is not only the Gulf that is experiencing a surge in demand for air conditioning. Between 1997 and 2007, the number of air-conditioned Chinese households doubled, while the US now has more than 100 million homes with the technology.

The tendency to now work from home and remain there for much of the day could fuel this rise further.

Anecdotally, UAE residents say they've already seen bills rise during a long summer at home, and realised how much they rely on AC throughout the day.

Office designs are at the heart of the issue

The increased use of air conditioning in offices – it is now becoming the norm in many temperate countries – results, experts say, from several factors.

High-rise offices with sheer expanses of glass have air conditioning integrated into their design, instead of achieving natural cooling and ventilation by other means.

“With higher buildings, wind speeds act against window opening and the solar gain through glass walls is generally very high, and opportunities for through-ventilation are generally minimal,” said Prof Gordon Walker of Lancaster University's Environment Centre in the UK.

Abu Dhabi's Al Bahr Towers, built in 2010, use a solar shading system to keep the building cool. Silvia Razgova / The National
Abu Dhabi's Al Bahr Towers, built in 2010, use a solar shading system to keep the building cool. Silvia Razgova / The National

More heat-producing electronic equipment has encouraged the adoption of air conditioning – and its use is set to accelerate further.

Cooling homes is heating the planet

Among nations in or close to the tropics, the number of air conditioning units is forecast by the World Bank to grow from 1.6 billion now to about five billion by 2050.

But as we cool our buildings and homes, we may be heating the planet further, notwithstanding initiatives by countries such as the UAE to decarbonise energy generation through solar and nuclear power.

"We're burning fossil fuels, which is putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, to generate electricity, which is running almost 100 per cent of air conditioning," said Stan Cox, author of the book Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World.

“The whole process is generating millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, and the other problem is the refrigerants used as heat-transfer liquids: they themselves are potent greenhouse gases.”

Although air-conditioning systems are becoming more efficient, this may not be enough to counteract increased use. For example, from the mid-1990s to 2005, air-conditioner efficiency in the US increased 28 per cent, says Mr Cox, but energy consumption from it grew 37 per cent. So the answer may lie in cooling buildings in different ways.

Time for a new approach

One approach involves circulating cooled water within neighbourhoods – a mirror of the use of heated water in Scandinavia to warm buildings – with heat potentially exchanged with, for example, sea water or artificial water systems.

“Water has a much higher heat capacity than air, which means it can absorb more heat from air-conditioning systems,” Prof Al Habaibeh said.

“This makes pumping of heat much more efficient and helps reduce the heat-island effect, as the cooling process could happen far away from the city, since chilled water can be transported via cooling pipes.”

Another new technology is ice-powered air-conditioning, with ice produced at night when electricity demand is lower, and used for air conditioning at peak times.

Climate change is a global concern

Traditional ways of cooling could be incorporated into modern buildings. According to Gary Clark, who leads the UK, Europe and Middle East science and technology practice at architects HOK, which has offices in Dubai, old-style techniques could reduce power requirements.

There is, he says, “no one silver bullet with passive cooling”, but designers have “so much to relearn from the vernacular past”.

“We can still do it even with rising temperatures,” he said. “It doesn’t omit air conditioning, but it changes it and makes it more subtle.”

Limiting glass coverage helps – Mr Clark suggests a maximum of about 30 percent is needed in the Gulf – as does shading and even wind towers, a traditional feature used to create a breeze.

Gary Clark from architects HOK. Courtesy: Gary Clark / HOK
Gary Clark from architects HOK. Courtesy: Gary Clark / HOK

Modern buildings praised for their shading include Abu Dhabi’s Al Bahr Towers and the King Fahd National Library in Riyadh.

“The twin Al Bahr Towers opt for a dynamic approach, whereby an array of origami-like sun shades are programmed to ‘bloom’ when the sun path aligns with different areas of the facade and contract when there is little or no sun exposure,” said Dr Greig Paterson, a Dubai design manager at consultancy Drees and Sommer.

The use of vernacular techniques allows, he says, natural ventilation to be used during the cooler months, cutting energy consumption and improving wellness.

“Furthermore, simple solutions such as ceiling fans contribute greatly to thermal comfort at a fraction of the energy cost of air conditioners,” he said.

To encourage such design – even outside of flagship eco-projects such as Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City – Mr Clark suggests legislation could specify the maximum power use for cooling in buildings.

Another approach is to accustom people to a wider range of temperatures – known as the adaptive comfort model – as this reduces the need for a constant temperature.

Mr Clark says that people can be comfortable indoors at several degrees Celsius above the levels engineers regard as the maximum.

“If you’re in a hot climate, and you’re adjusted to that hot climate, you can go higher,” he said.

“The upper limit, the engineers think it’s 26°C. If you follow adaptive comfort, it goes up to 32°C during the day."

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

Directed by: Shaka King

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons

Four stars

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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2021 World Triathlon Championship Series

May 15: Yokohama, Japan
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June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China

The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
Brief scores:

Toss: Nepal, chose to field

UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23

Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17

Result: UAE won by 21 runs

Series: UAE lead 1-0

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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters

The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.

 Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.

A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.

The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.

The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.

Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.

Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment

But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.

Continental champions

Best Asian Player: Massaki Todokoro (Japan)

Best European Player: Adam Wardzinski (Poland)

Best North & Central American Player: DJ Jackson (United States)

Best African Player: Walter Dos Santos (Angola)

Best Oceanian Player: Lee Ting (Australia)

Best South American Player: Gabriel De Sousa (Brazil)

Best Asian Federation: Saudi Jiu-Jitsu Federation

The bio

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France

Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines

Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.

Favourite Author: My father for sure

Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO

Who: France v Italy
When: Friday, 11pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports

Company name: Play:Date

Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day

Founder: Shamim Kassibawi

Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US

Sector: Tech 

Size: 20 employees

Stage of funding: Seed

Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund

EXPATS
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Disability on screen

Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues

24: Legacy — PTSD;

Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound

Taken and This Is Us — cancer

Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)

Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg

Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety

Switched at Birth — deafness

One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy

Dragons — double amputee

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

'Dark Waters'

Directed by: Todd Haynes

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper 

Rating: ****

The specs

Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm

Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh130,000

On sale: now

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

RESULTS

5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Sean Kirrane (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)

5.30pm: Falaj Hazza – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Arim W’Rsan, Dane O’Neill, Jaci Wickham

6pm: Al Basrah – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Kalifano De Ghazal, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi

6.30pm: Oud Al Touba – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Pharitz Oubai, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

7pm: Sieh bin Amaar – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Oxord, Richard Mullen, Abdalla Al Hammadi

7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Ramz, Sean Kirrane, Khalifa Al Neyadi

8pm: Al Saad – Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Sea Skimmer, Gabriele Malune, Kareem Ramadan

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

Results

Stage seven

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s

3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s

General Classification

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s

3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5