Job Discussion Forums

[adorabilly]

so I went through the newbie to the UAE section, and asked some questions that have been repeated, and didn't ask others cuz I found that others had asked them.

I have spent some time trolling to find information.

But I need to ask this one. Now in order to understand where I am coming from realize that for 2 years I lived in rural central china where there was no such things as insulation, or weather stripping. In the middle of winter your froze because the wind would just blow through your house.

How energy efficient are the buildings in the UAE? Particularly housing.

I know I will get the "runs the gamut." answers. But in general are the flats/villas pretty energy efficient and well insulated? Or should I bring window caulking, and weather stripping?

[veiledsentiments]

First off the word 'trolling' has a whole other meaning in 'internetspeak'

As you expected, the answer is that it varied. Everything is brick and/or poured concrete and that is common in hot climates. There is no added 'insulation' as we know it. The variation in quality is normally the windows. As a intrepid caulker myself, I will admit that I never felt the need. And, if you do, I don't expect that you would have much trouble finding some.

If you are worried, you might throw a small tube of the all-purpose stuff into a suitcase.

VS

[Sheikh N Bake]

Weather stripping is not an issue here, but noise from outside can be. If you're on a noisy street (and bear in mind that certain streets in certain towns are quiet during the day and then the engine-revving mutants come out after midnight, literally) then you'd better have double-glazed windows. Some apartment buildings have central a/c which is low-cost for the tenant; others have window units which can run you up to Dh. 500 (US$130) a month in the summer with a large apartment and family of 5. Large houses--forget about it; you'll pay a lot in utilities.

[helenl]

You can buy weatherstripping, caulking, etc. nearly everywhere in UAE - some smaller cities (Fujairah, UAQ, RAK) you might have to do a little searching, but they are available