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Model Villa
Ras Al Khaimah has defined in the overall Energy Efficiency and Renewable Strategy 2040, which aims to reduce the electricity & water consumption and increase the introduction of renewable energy in the Emirate. As part of the strategy, the Buildings Retrofit Program has the objective of reducing energy consumption and improve efficiency of existing government, commercial and residential buildings. In 2017, residential energy consumption represented 32% of all energy consumption in Ras Al Khaimah. With the population and comfort growth perspectives for the Emirate, this number is expected to increase substantially in the next years unless something is done to address this issue.

The model villa retrofit initiative was created to raise awareness and demonstrate on a real case study how a well done retrofit can reduce the energy consumption in a standard local RAK villa. For this purpose, a public raffle will be made available to all locals to select a villa to be awarded a full retrofit free of charge in exchange of serving as a demonstrator of the retrofit results and benefits. The objectives of the initiative are to create a living demonstrator of what a residential retrofit project is, the actual measures implemented in the selected villa, and the savings and results achieved versus the previous consumption. This real case study will also create awareness about the benefits of a well implemented retrofit and to incentivize other local villa owners to do retrofit projects in their properties.

A retrofit is a project to make changes in the existing villa to improve its energy efficiency and reduce its energy Consumption. These changes can be of the following types:
  • Upgrading and improving existing systems (such as smart controls, A/C optimization, smart thermostats, VFD for motors and pumps).
  • Replacing existing systems with new more efficient ones (such as LED lighting, water aerators, solar water heaters).
  • Adding new systems wherever relevant (such as remote energy monitoring, solar PV).
  • Improving insulation, shading and other building envelope elements.

RAK Municipality will select the villa through a public raffle of all submitted applications from UAE nationals living in Ras Al Khaimah. A winner and 4 runner-ups will be selected.

The following eligibility criteria is mandatory for the villa to be accepted in the raffle:

  • Applicant is an Emirati national.
  • Villa is located in Ras Al Khaima Emirate.
  • Applicant is the owner of the villa and is living there with his/her family.
  • Applicant has available previous 12 months of FEWA bills.
  • Villa has a total gross floor area (M²) between 500 M² and 1,000 M².
  • ApVilla has been constructed between 2003 and 2013 (both inclusive).
  • Applicant has at least one of the following numbers issued by RAK Municipality for the villa: building permit number, plot number, completion certificate number.
  • Villa is built with concrete structure, concrete foundation, concrete beams and concrete slabs.
  • Villa is built with concrete block walls.
  • Applicant confirms acceptance of the initiative’s terms and conditions.
  • Applicant confirms acceptance of the initiative’s draft agreement Download Application form
  • Applicant allows access to the villa for audit and retrofit project works.
  • Applicant allows public sharing of retrofit results after implementation.
  • Applicant accepts to host at the villa half a day quarterly events for 3 years after implementation.

The main benefit for the owner is to have his/her villa retrofitted free of charge, with the respective energy savings and reduction in FEWA bill. Additional benefits include increased villa sustainability, improved equipment maintenance cycles, longer equipment lifetime, as well as active contribution to Ras Al Khaimah’s Energy Efficiency and Renewables Strategy 2040’s objectives.

From the villa owner a number of commitments are expected in exchange, as follows:
  • Acceptance of the draft agreement for the villa retrofit.
  • Availability to provide information about the villa consumption and existing equipment.
  • Availability to provide access to the villa for the audit and retrofit works.
  • Availability to publically share information about retrofit results.
  • Availability to provide access to the villa for quarterly events during 3 years after the retrofit.
  • Availability to act as an ambassador for the initiative, including speaking at selected events.

Applications can be submitted by filling the respective application form .

  • The call for applications is open until 31st October 2018.
  • RAK Municipality will hold the public raffle on 8th November 2018.
  • Winners and runner-ups will be officially notified in the following weeks.

RAK Municipality can be contacted for additional information about the model villa initiative using the following contacts: