Photo used for illustrative purpose.

Netix Controls, the leading smart buildings solutions provider, has announced its participation as the lead sponsor in the RetrofitTech Abu Dhabi Summit, which will be co-hosted by Abu Dhabi Energy Services (ADES).

To be held from June 1 in Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi, the landmark conclave will, as a precursor to the upcoming UAE-hosted COP28, explore actionable solutions and strategies that can help realise sustainability goals.

As the essentiality of concrete climate actions finds consensus across the globe, the UAE has ramped up its efforts by mobilising all stakeholders in industries that are generally considered energy-intensive. RetrofitTech Abu Dhabi Summit is particularly geared towards the real estate sector, which accounts for 40% of global energy consumption and at least one-third of all GHG emissions. Lighting and HVACR systems — which together account for 60–70% of total energy consumption in buildings, typically — are the primary focus areas.

“The global decarbonisation and sustainability discourse has a strong real estate concomitant because of the sector’s unsustainable energy and carbon footprint. While there are cutting edge, novel solutions that promise energy efficiencies and green outcomes, they are seldom applicable to existing, old building stock and systems — which are the majority of total stock. So, retrofitting and unlocking novel ‘smart’ outcomes in old buildings are the need of the hour — which is our strong suit,” said Sanjeevv Bhatia, CEO of Netix Controls.

Sanjeevv Bhatia.

Netix Controls has the distinction of leading a “brownfield revolution” in the Middle East through its Netix-Novus Partner Program and open-protocol solutions. Popularly known as the “Android Approach” — due to its open-source nature with high flexibility and integration capabilities — Netix’s retrofit solutions eliminate vendor lock-ins and integrate siloed systems in old buildings to achieve “smart” outcomes such as centralised operations, data-driven insights, energy optimisation, and high efficiencies.

“Retrofitting in buildings is, in a way, upholding their ‘Right to Repair’. The legacy, multi-vendor systems and mode of operations are inefficient, energy and OpEx intensive, and ill-suited to the experience economy. However, without totally overhauling them, we can leverage IoT and AI-led plug-and-play solutions for integration and optimization. In doing so, we can unlock multi-fold value and induce sustainability in buildings. Therefore, summits like RetrofitTech are particularly timely and significant in the Middle East,” opined Sanjeevv Bhatia.