Honeywell on Monday announced the results of a successful thermostat pilot program in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, that indicates mosques in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East have the potential to cut their energy consumption by more than one-third through the use of "smart" thermostats. The announcement comes at a time when sustainability is high on the government's agenda, in line with the Kingdom's Saudi Vision 2030. Honeywell's VisionPRO 8000 thermostat for mosques, designed with an auto-azan feature that uses location coordinates to calculate prayer times and automatically adjust temperatures, was piloted at the Al Tawba Mosque, Sharjah, over a period of six months between August 2015 and January 2016. The results demonstrated year-over-year energy savings of 37%, equating to 778 kilowatts in reduced energy consumption. The findings have been endorsed by the Sharjah government's Department of Islamic Affairs, which oversees mosques in the emirate. In Saudi Arabia, buildings account for 23% of energy use, according to the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC). The entity is responsible for the development of energy efficiency and conservation policies and has been working to reduce electricity intensity, the measure of the energy efficiency of the nation's economy, by 30% between 2005 and 2030. Mosques often have large open spaces and with prayers taking place five times a day, the ability to provide a comfortable, yet energy efficient environment has distinct energy saving implications. With a significant number of mosques in Saudi Arabia and tens of thousands across the Gulf region, Honeywell's technology has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption while maintaining optimal comfort for worshippers during prayer times in line with SEEC's ambitions. "In line with our commitment to making the region's buildings smarter, greener, safer and more productive, we're very pleased to see energy savings being achieved as a result of our trial in the UAE," said Norm Gilsdorf, president for Honeywell's Middle East, Russia and Central Asia regions. "The mosque thermostat is a clear result of our ongoing commitment to provide our customers in the Middle East with energy-efficient and locally relevant solutions. With this unique product, mosques in the region can be made more comfortable when required, while also providing an intuitive and sustainable solution for mosque caretakers during off-peak times." Dilip Sinha, general manager for Honeywell Environmental and Energy Solutions in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META), said: "This product is an example of how Honeywell works to develop and adapt technology to serve the needs of its customers. In this case we designed the auto-azan feature to enhance existing Honeywell programmable thermostat technology to meet the cultural needs of the region, and to help support Saudi Arabia's sustainability plans as outlined by SEEC and the Saudi Vision 2030." Following the encouraging results of the Sharjah pilot program, Honeywell is conducting other pilot studies at various mosques in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with more being planned in other Middle Eastern countries.
