UAE-based facilities management company Farnek Avireal, the exclusive administrator of Green Globe Certification - the premier worldwide sustainability stamp for the tourism industry - for the region, has recorded a record carbon reduction figure of 3,980 tonnes in H1 2012 across 12 UAE located buildings. “These 12 UAE properties all use our successful own-brand Optimizer web-based tool and some of them are also Green Globe Certified. They reduced their energy consumption by 6,738,000 kWh year-to-date, which is the equivalent amount of energy required to run a 300-room five-star hotel for 1½ years,” said Sandrine Le Biavant, Division Manager, Farnek Avireal. Farnek Avireal’s energy management expertise covers a wide range of industries including real estate, hospitality, education, transportation and events.

Speaking at the FM Expo 2012 seminar sessions as the official sustainability sponsor, Farnek Avireal gave building owners and managers firsthand insight and practical advice into how carbon offsetting and reduction solutions can not only save the environment, but save money.

“We are involved with over 1,000 properties in UAE through our total FM services. Our consulting division is supporting our operations team to incorporate energy efficient practices to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of buildings. These strategies include the tracking and analysis of existing base line energy and water consumption and waste production, and deep energy audits that enable us to identify where energy is wasted and provide relevant solutions with the best pay-back possible. We also provide carbon assessment or offsetting solutions,” added Le Biavant.

Farnek Avireal also works closely with myclimate, the world-leading carbon offset foundation, with clients including the Embassy of Switzerland in Abu Dhabi, the Blossom Nursery and Emirates Environmental Group. The company has also made a number of its buses carbon neutral, each of them individually offsetting around 12 tonnes of CO2 annually.

Farnek Avireal’s sustainability presentation focused on the practicalities and benefits of adopting carbon offsetting programmes, and looked at the company’s Internet-based energy auditing system – Energy Optimizer. The easy-to-use system calculates CO2 emissions and provides an industry benchmark including the financial cost, which allows hotels, offices and other buildings to track their energy and water consumption as well as non-recyclable waste production.

“Sustainability and energy management have become increasingly important for the regional facilities management industry as property and company owners become more aware, not only of new regulations being introduced and strong messages from country leaders, but the positive impact it can have on their bottom line” said Le Biavant.