Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), the world’s largest district cooling services provider, stressed that Empower will continue its pioneering role in the district cooling sector and its efforts to transform Dubai into a global hub for clean energy and green economy. Dubai has been named as the ‘Champion City’ for district cooling globally. Following this achievement, Empower launched the ’Owner’s Guide for buildings served by District Cooling’ and an updated edition of the ‘District Cooling Guide’ for designers and building owners around the world.

This came after the official announcement of the launch of the two guides, during a workshop sponsored Empower and organized by ASHRAE, to review the guides by specialists and researchers in the cooling sector from around the world. The workshop was held at The Address Hotel Dubai Marina, in the presence of Bin Shafar, Dr. Ahmed Alaa, Director & Chairman of Region-At-Large ASHRAE (Board Directors), Steve Comstock, The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Business Development Manager EMEA as well as experts from both sides.

The ’Owner’s Guide for buildings served by District Cooling’ is a useful reference for building owners and designers, providing them with basic information on the advantages of district cooling services and the installation and operation of cooling systems in a simple manner. The guide addresses owners’ concerns, such as selection of the design consultant, responsibilities for the maintenance of equipment within buildings, and the specific structures for district cooling pricing, in addition to service linkage, networks, meters and maintenance. The guide also reviews design flaws and other system constraints on existing buildings, and includes various supplements with case studies on performance issues.

The updated edition of the ‘District Cooling Guide’ provides guidance and includes a chapter dedicated to the design process. The guide offers additional information on how to improve cooling systems and incorporate the concept of thermal storage into a district cooling system. The manual also offers guidance on operational and maintenance processes, through case studies, to help operators ensure that systems work as intended. The ‘District Cooling Guide’ contains a wide range of references to the sources of information and publications that have been used, which can help to those who wish to conduct an in-depth analysis for additional details.

This guide will also be a valuable reference for both designers who do not have experience in district cooling, as well as those involved in the sector, such as specialist consultants, utility engineers, cooling system engineers, central plant design engineers and cooling water system designers.

“We are very happy and proud that Dubai was selected to launch the ’Owner’s Guide for buildings served by District Cooling’ and the updated edition of the ‘District Cooling Guide’ by ASHRAE. This allows us to renew our commitment to the role we play in consolidating Dubai’s global position in the field of district cooling, and the energy sector, in general,” said Bin Shafar.

Bin Shafar highlighted that Empower is the first organisation in the world to sponsor the launch of the ’Owner’s Guide for buildings served by District Cooling’ and the updated edition of the ‘District Cooling Guide’, since 2013. This comes in line with Empower’s ongoing development strategy, which is mainly based on Research & Development (R&D), and supports the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to build a knowledge-based economy and join efforts to make Dubai the most sustainable city in the world.

Empower provides district cooling services to more than 1,090 buildings, catering to more than 100,000 customers. The company operates more than 1.43 Million Refrigeration Tons (RT), providing environmentally friendly district cooling services to large-scale real estate developments, such as Bluewaters, Jumeirah Group, Business Bay, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai International Financial Centre, Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Ibn Battuta Mall, Discovery Gardens, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai World Trade Centre Residences and Dubai Design District, International Media Production Zone and others.