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Glossary
Energy standards and regulation

What is DSM and Al Sa'fat?

Definition

DSM and Al Sa'fat covers Dubai's Demand Side Management Strategy, which targets lower electricity and water demand, and Al Sa'fat, Dubai Municipality's green building system for new buildings.

Who each applies to

Al Sa'fat applies to new building permits in Dubai, so developers, architects and MEP consultants meet it during design and construction. Per Dubai Municipality, every new building must meet the mandatory requirements for the Silver Sa'fa, and owners can add requirements to reach the Golden or Platinum Sa'fa. The DSM Strategy reaches existing buildings through retrofit, cooling and efficiency programs.

Targets and dates

  • Al Sa'fat replaced the Dubai Green Building Regulations and Specifications from 19 October 2020
  • Per the Dubai Government Media Office, the DSM Strategy aims to cut demand for electricity and water by 30 percent by 2030, measured against a 2013 baseline
  • The strategy runs 11 programs, among them Building Retrofits, Efficient Cooling, the Green Building Code and Shams Dubai

Cooling and water data for Dubai sites

In Dubai's climate cooling drives the electricity bill, so Aqueduct's baselines regress consumption on cooling degree days for the site's own location. On the water side, the balance equation splits main supply into floors, fire system, RO feed and unaccounted loss, while RO recovery and STP efficiency show whether reuse plant is performing.

Questions

DSM and Al Sa'fat: common questions

Al Sa'fat is Dubai Municipality's green building rating system, built into the building permit process. It grades new buildings on site planning, building vitality, energy, water and materials, with Silver as the mandatory level and Golden and Platinum as voluntary upgrades. Aqueduct's view is on the Dubai Al Sa'fat compliance page.

Its mandatory Silver requirements attach to new buildings through the permit process. Existing buildings are reached mainly through the DSM retrofit programs, which reward measured cuts in electricity and water use, so operating data matters more there than design documents.

No. Al Sa'fat is Dubai Municipality's system, while Estidama Pearl is the separate rating system used in Abu Dhabi. Both cover energy and water, but a developer working in both emirates prepares separate submissions to separate authorities.

By measuring electricity and water use against a weather-normalized baseline and reporting the difference. Aqueduct builds that baseline from bills or meters, so cooling savings are not hidden by a hot year, and tracks water through leak detection and reuse plant performance.

See Aqueduct on your own facility.

Bring a site, a utility bill or a question. We will show you where the loss is.

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