The Emirates Central Cooling Corporation, known as Empower, said that consumption of district cooling provided by the company rose by 23.2 per cent in July 2012 compared to same period last year. The company also reported that its total square footage committed to district cooling has achieved a remarkable increase. Empower chief executive officer Ahmad bin Shafar said that the increase reflects the economy rebound in the UAE and it shows that the country is on the right way to partially outperform conventional AC systems in the favour of district cooling. He added that with every increase in district cooling consumption, there are savings being achieved in electricity and water consumption in Dubai that contribute in preserving the natural resources of the emirate. He stressed that Dubai is increasing its dependence on district cooling for the better of the environment and to reduce operating and maintenance costs of chilling. Bin Shafar added that this increase in consumption came as a result of Empower’s higher occupancy rate that reached 16.1 per cent in Jumeirah Beach Residence, Al Khail Gate, Dubai International Financial Centre and Tecom C. Moreover, the company is serving new buildings in Business Bay and Ghoroub Mirdif. Empower also is operating new plants in Business Bay and Dubai Academic City From : Khalij