Farnek, has signed a three-year energy performance contract (EPC) with Sonder Holiday Homes, to implement energy efficiency measures to facilitate major energy-saving measures across Sonder’s properties in Business Bay and Jumeriah Beach Walk (JBR) in Dubai.
Under the terms of the agreement, Farnek will take responsibility for the design, installation, financing and maintenance of the energy conservation measures. The registered Energy Service Company (ESCO) will closely monitor the performance and savings attained on the utility costs of both of the SONDER properties.
“We have offered our services and expertise for installing energy-efficient equipment, in addition to providing ongoing monitoring and maintenance services,” said Nadia Ibrahim, Associate Director – Consultancy & Sustainabiity at Farnek.
The EPC project will offer SONDER annual savings of up to 1.5 million kWh in electricity consumption close to a 30% saving. The buildings were carefully studied using advanced energy profiling tools to accurately calculate and forecast verifiable utility cost savings, compliant with rigorous international standards.
“We will be using an advanced asset-based monitoring system to continuously measure energy consumption and the performance of the contract. We will achieve this with a product developed by our own in-house technology team known as POWERTEK, a powerful comprehensive, centralised platform for monitoring and analysing energy usage and costs. We aim to reduce around 664 tonnes of CO2 annually,” added Ibrahim.
The collaborative project between the two organisations is one of the key pilot initiatives to align SONDER with Dubai Government’s Department of Economy & Tourism (DET) which has nineteen sustainability requirements incorporating waste management, water management, resource efficient transportation and energy conservation.
The two properties covered under the agreement include Sonder Downtown Towers, a 31-floor luxury holiday home development, featuring over 300 rooms in three towers, comprising of studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments. The complex also includes a state-of-the-art fitness centre, a rooftop pool and lounge, and a conference room. The second is the 32-floor Sonder JBR The Walk residential tower featuring 164
luxurious short term holiday homes, complemented by a range of luxury lounges and restaurants.
The project has been carefully designed and modelled to achieve the maximum savings while still maintaining optimum comfort levels for guests and without creating any disruption to the day-to-day operation.
“The collaborative approach with Sonder will not only help their properties achieve sustainability objectives, but to also create a more sustainable future for the hospitality sector in the UAE and we are looking forward to seeing the positive impact of our efforts,” said Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek.
In line with the UAE’s Year of Sustainability 2023 objectives, which aims to promote sustainable practices and environmental conservation, Farnek is committed to promoting, investing and implementing sustainable solutions throughout its operations.
Furthermore, Farnek is also committed to working closely with its clients and partners to develop and implement sustainable solutions that align with the UAE’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, to lower energy consumption and thus carbon emissions.