"In the UAE’s hot climate, cooling applications account for as much as two thirds of electricity consumption. In 2012, the UAE became the first country in the region to apply mandatory efficiency standards for air conditioning.
"These new standards, implemented by the Emirates Standards and Metrology Authority (ESMA), remove roughly the lowest-performing 20% of air conditioning models from the UAE market. For other models, a 5-level labeling system has been introduced, with a financial incentives applied to higher standards to encourage rapid stock turnover."
(Source: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/arenc3.pdf)
Since 2012, standards have been developed for various appliances including water heaters and refrigeration appliances.
(Source: http://www.esma.gov.ae/en-us/ESMA/Pages/Laws-and-Legislations.aspx)