heroes of the uae case study...
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HEROES OF THE UAE CASE STUDY -2012 SERVICE CITY
AXIOM TELECOM
Location Employees Washroom Wash Basin
Shower Lighting (Tube light) (Bulbs)
AC (Split units)
Dubai, UAE 54 9 11 10 T – 167 nos B‐ 27 nos
46
Company Profile
Case Study Index Sector – Telecommunications Employees – 54 in Dubai, UAE Building Type ‐ Warehouse Intervention – Trainings/Awareness Energy savings: Less than 10% 10% ‐30% More than 30%
About the Case Study: The key purpose of the case study was to recognize exemplary efforts by the organization to promote energy conservation/efficiency and encourage their learning’s with other organizations in the UAE through information sharing. A case study seemed like the best approach because it has helped us identify areas in which our efforts could have the greatest impact.
Service City, established in 2003 by Mr. Faisal AlBannai, is dedicated to providing the best aftersales service to its customer. We are part of the AlBannai Group of companies, a rapidly growingconglomerate that started its operation in 1960 inDubai. Today this visionary group has diversifiedits arms into various sectors resourced with morethan 2000 employees. Al Bannai Enterprises issuccessfully established in industries likeTelecommunications, Hospitality, Security &Surveillance etc. under its umbrella
We play a vital role in providing the after salesservices and trainings. We expanded ouroperations to India in 2007. Both our locationsare certified for ISO 9001:2008 and ISO14001:2004.Employing approximately 54 staffs atService City, Dubai we aim to provide a safeworking environment, encourage our employeesto reach their full potential and reward them fortheir contribution to our business success. Thescope of the data presented in this case studyincludes only the Dubai operations.
Building Information
Location: Umm Ramool Rashidiya, Dubai Building Type: Warehouse type (rented space) Area: 1988.60 sq. m. with false ceiling roofing Utility Bills: Individual meters, DEWA bills received and monitored on a regular basis. Office Equipment’s: List available.
Our services generate lower environmental impacts and we have taken necessary initiatives to further reduce these impacts by continuously monitoring them as our environmental key result areas (EKRA). By managing and improving performance in relation to these areas we will develop our services to better meet our customers’ needs and attract more people to use them.
Design and Implementation
The energy and water conservation initiatives started at Service City through awareness trainings, round table discussions and brainstorming sessions. The following were our key strategies to achieve energy and water savings in line to our corporate strategy,
The results of the leadership and education strategies were presented in the following aspects,
Leadership Education
Leadership displayed by the management and EMS team, played a vital role in enhancing the energy conservation efforts. Most of the savings were achieved through simple measures adopted at the user level, getting support of the management in educating the user group on the simple methods of energy and water savings and the resulting positive impact were very important.
Educating the users brought about awareness and a sense of responsibility which contributed to the cost‐effective approach to achieve energy and cost savings. To further promote energy and water conservation, education was also seen as an important element for the success; energy and water conservation initiatives were propagated at all levels of the organization.
Energy & WaterSavings
Energy and Water Conservation Measures
Staff Awareness and Engagement
Our employees involve themselves in various programs and carry out projects for the benefit of their internal and external customers, and for the success of the organization. Few of the awareness and employee engagement projects are listed below,
1. The ISO 14001:2004 certification and regular assessments helped us improve our environmental performance.
2. Water conservation techniques training by Engr. Hisham Bukhari of Dubai Municipality gave an insight on the subject importance.
3. Mandatory EMS awareness trainings executed on a half yearly basis to enhance employee awareness.
4. EMS awareness developed in new employees by Induction trainings. 5. Visual displays including wall posters/stickers and PC screensavers helped employees to
continue the contribution of new initiatives in achieving improved environmental results.
6. To improve on the employee opinion contributions we implemented the Employee suggestions portal.
7. Based on the CSR interest and know how, employees were nominated as CSR champions for planning and implementing programs.
8. To enhance participation we developed the point system in the form of Employee Involvement Index which was used as a tool during performance appraisals for rating CSR program involvement.
9. We pass on appreciations through emails, newsletters, weekly meetings and gatherings which indeed makes the employees feel positive of what they are doing.
10. We encourage the employees to share the environment initiatives with family and friends as a source to spread the importance of environmental issues and impacts.
11. Team building activities carried out to maximize the employee contribution as part of the team.
12. Best suggestions implemented were rewarded as part of the Rewards and Recognition program.
13. Reward and recognition programs in place to enhance employee motivation and morale.
14. Employees at supervisory levels authorized and empowered to take decisions at their levels.
15. Situational leadership skills among the team have enhanced their confidence levels.
Lighting retrofits Majority of the energy savings can be achieved through the elimination of unwanted or excessive lighting fixtures or by the substitution of electric lighting by CFL or natural daylight. In addition, a large portion of the energy savings can be obtained by inducing a sense of
responsibility into the users who then make sure to turn off lights when it is not needed. The following steps were taken to reduce electricity consumption by the building lighting systems:
We have taken the following steps to reduce electricity consumption: 1. The exterior lighting i.e. the main gate lights of the company were replaced with
fluorescent tube(36W) to conserve electricity; 2. Lightings in all areas were analyzed and changes were implemented in the common
areas such as corridors, washrooms, reception, staircases, waiting lounges. (4 tubes in a bracket were reduced to 2 tubes).
3. Lights switched off in unoccupied rooms. 4. Installation of energy efficient lightings in the conference room, 20W tubes replaced
with 3W LED lamp to save electricity. 5. Visuals displayed in the form of awareness stickers on the power switch.
Water Saving devices Water conservation seminar was given at Service City by Engr. Hisham Bukhari from Dubai Municipality. The event was an awareness program and also a practical demonstration on different water conservation techniques being promoted jointly by Dubai Municipality and other government and non‐government organizations. At the start of the seminar each participant was given a cistern bag and tap valves. He also demonstrated on the different water saving techniques by the use of different water controlling valves, cistern bags, etc.
We have taken the following steps to reduce water consumption:
1. Installed tap regulators to increase the pressure and reduce the water flow. Water consumption in wash basins has been reduced by 50%.
2. Water bottles mounted in Flush tanks to limit the water flow (low flush requires only 1.6 gallons ie.6 liters per flush).
3. Annual maintenance contract signed for the building maintenance in order to fix maintenance issues immediately.
4. Regular checks done for water pipes and other systems for leaks, and provide regular maintenance to the building’s plumbing system.
Air conditioning
To help us keep our bills and our energy consumption as low as possible, we have taken the following steps to maintain the Air conditioner usage efficiently:
1. Temperature control set to 25‐26C.
2. Introduced the Annual maintenance contract and regular duct cleaning schedules in place.
6. AC switched off in unoccupied rooms. 7. We make sure that the windows and doors are closed. 8. We make sure that the AC is switched off at the end of day. 9. Windows in the Mezzanine floor tinted to reduce the temperature inside the room. 10. In the future expansions we are planning to look into solar AC options.
Other Energy consuming items
1. We provide trainings internally and to external participants at our Regional Training Centre to Unplug chargers when not in use.
2. The computers are turned off at the close of business and when not in use. 3. Maintenance team internally nominated for carrying out the regular maintenance of the
equipment’s. 4. Awareness given on switching off high consumption devices when not in use. 5. Make sure equipment is used efficiently in the office area. Eg. Copiers, fax machines,
computers, printers etc. 6. Turning off all electrical equipment’s to stand‐by modes when not required. 7. Purchase department is made aware and is solely responsible in the purchase of energy
efficient equipment’s. 8. Regularly conduct inspections of all departments to make sure those energy
conservation methods are being followed.
Other factors
Energy savings was not meant to be achieved through infrastructure improvement, optimizing the operation of lighting and equipment’s. This was accomplished after analyzing the existing operation schedule and optimizing the operation of the systems based on their requirements.
1. The work schedules of the Repair factory team was altered based on the analysis of the electricity consumption during the operating hours (24x7).Adopting change in working hours from 24 hours to 10 hours and change in working days for the office staff from 6 to 5 days a week has made it possible to minimize energy consumption caused by the unnecessary and unwarranted operation of the building systems.
2. The operating hours of the air conditioners and lightings were reduced on an average of 30% without affecting the operational efficiency & productivity by realigning certain input‐output processes and by running process improvement programs.
As evident from the case study, the energy savings project has been successful in achieving the goal of energy conservation through simple strategies by involving everyone within the organization. Among the various energy saving measures, the few valuable and important lessons learned that can be outlined are:
1. Further to the implementation of ISO 14001:9004, energy savings were calculated by creating a proper baseline that takes into account the energy consumption in the building before and after the implementation of energy conservation measures.
2. Convincing on the benefits, implications and higher cost efficiency from organizational activities in CSR were few of the challenges faced at the initial stage. Teamwork along with Top Management support has helped us develop the CSR strategy to ensure the success of the initiatives.
3. It was important to identify a team (CSR Champions) and give them responsibility so that he/she can play a leadership role in planning and implementing the project in an effective fashion.
4. While quantifying energy savings from the measures was important, documenting the experience of employees & visitors in the building through verbal surveys and taking steps to address reasonable grievances were very helpful in maintaining the morale of employees and making them feel part of the ongoing initiative.
5. While considering the changes in the lighting modifications, it was very important to ensure that the illuminance levels were maintained as per national/international lighting standards so that measures don’t result in negative productivity impacts.
6. The cost savings achieved were shared in the annual reports and meetings and hence encouraged the management and employees to contribute and support towards the environmental cause.
7. The additional policies developed for Water, Electricity and Waste management were regularly monitored and audited as part of ISO 14001:2004.
8. It was very important for Service City to develop an operation and maintenance schedule for repair and replacement of the building systems.
9. Pilot project initiated at Service City and extended across the Service department followed by our corporate office.
10. Bench mark study done for CSR initiatives and a 5 year plan with 25 objectives and 100 commitments were developed to take the CSR culture to the next level within the group.
11. Internal trainings and CSR workshop participation opportunities provided to employees to spread the awareness on CSR benefits and programs.
12. ‘Kaizen portal’ developed for employees to post their suggestions with regard to any improvements.
Lessons learned
13. We constantly improve our initiatives through the Employee involvement index, appreciations during performance review, rewards and recognitions programs etc.
14. Further to the energy conservation awareness, implementation and cost savings achieved, our corporate office has planned to opt for energy efficient equipment purchases for all the divisions across the group in the future.
15. Develop Green building designs as part of our new corporate office layout plan. 16. In‐house Green day programs and participation was one way of involving all employees
as part of the environment programs and gift vouchers were distributed as an incentive for employee motivation.
To achieve this goal, Service City developed a company‐wide carbon emissions reduction strategy. It decided to focus on those activities that it could directly control and measure to target for efficiency study: facility/operations energy usage (electricity and water), flights usage (business travel), vehicle usage (fuel consumption) and materials usage (paper and toner). On identifying the carbon impact of these activities’, initiatives were undertaken to promote conservation and cut down on waste.
Illustrations
Water conservation techniques training by Engr. Hisham Bukhari of Dubai Municipality on 4th March 2006 educated all employees on
the water conservation measures and ultimately saving water.
As part of our annual training calendar, we implement half yearly awareness EMS trainings for all employees. An energy conservation technique training was conducted by our internal trainer Mr Janaka Peiris on 15th March 2009.
Awareness Trainings Initial awareness trainings
implemented by Dubai Municipality in 2006.The learning’s were taken forward by internal trainers during mandatory half yearly EMS trainings
for all employees.
Water Savings Further to the awareness trainings, EMS programs were in place and visuals were displayed in the washrooms for reassuring the
importance of controlling the water consumption.
Further to the water conservation techniques training, water tap regulators were distributed by Dubai Municipality. As part of the EMS programs the regulators were installed in the water taps to reduce the water consumption. The increase in pressure of the water flow would reduce
the water consumption.
All the flush tanks were converted to low flush by adjusting the height of the float and fixing water bottles inside cisterns to
reduce the consumption of water.
Energy SavingsFurther to the awareness trainings, as part of the EMS programs we have implemented few electricity saving methods to reduce energy
consumption.
As a communication medium we have implemented different types of EMS posters
and banners in the company premises. This has helped our staffs as well as the
visitors to be more aware of the environmental issues.
As part of the EMS programs, retrofit changes were implemented in all common areas such as corridors, washrooms, reception, lobby, and
stairs. etc. (4 tubes in a bracket were reduced to 2 tubes in unoccupied
areas.)
Conference room retrofits changes resulted in the reduction of 86% of the total power consumption. The total LED lamps installed consumes only 156 W of power; earlier the Tubes were consuming 1120 W. As a result of this EMS initiative we were able to save energy by 964
Watts. Please refer to the below table.
Power Consumption Savings Plan with LED Lamps
Energy consumption Before EMS activity After EMS activity
Light Type 20W Tubes 3W LED Lamp
Quantity 56 Nos 52 Nos Total Consumption 1120W 156W
Total Energy Savings 964 W Energy Reduction 86 %
Energy Savings in view of the conservation project were initiated with the goal of reducing energy consumption by 15% during the year 2009. Thus the strategies and techniques described earlier were carefully applied and performances were monitored. As a result, the energy consumption was measured to be reduced by 17.1% for electricity and 17.8% for water in 2009 respectively. Please refer to the below table.
Energy Consumption
Theoretical Actuals
Before EMS
activity
After EMS activity 2008 2009
Energy consumption per day (KWh) 1412 1040 1098 910
Energy consumption per month (KWh) 42366 31196 32938 27314
Energy consumption per year (KWh) 508398 374347 395260 327767
Yearly savings (KWh) 11647 67493
Nearly 67,493 kilowatt‐hours (KWh) and 48,459 gallons have reduced in 2009, a savings of more than AED 8,835 for electricity costs and AED 5,399 for water costs was observed in
2009.
Energy saving techniques and changes in work schedule implemented. In addition, behavioral changes in the user group (e.g. switching off lights and equipment’s when not needed) have also resulted in energy savings.
Conclusion
Service City team acknowledges the contributions of Dubai Municipality for sharing the informationabout the energy conservation initiatives with us and for their tremendous support that made thecompilation of this case study possible. “Service City CSR team is committed and we all need to takesmall steps to restore global damage. We would be working with our corporate team (Axiom Telecom) on the implementation of the recently developed Five year CSR plan which comprises of various projects spread across the five pillars of our CSR strategy of which Energy reduction and Waste management is one of the key projects in reducing the carbon footprint.
At the end of the workday we pledge to make sure that lights, air conditioning and office equipment’s are switched off in the premises and would take necessary steps in reducing our carbon footprint.