How to use less at home in Dubai, and what it means for your DEWA bill

This guide is for households in Dubai. It covers what the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) advises for using less electricity and water, how its tariff works, and the DEWA tools that show where your use goes. Abu Dhabi households are served by TAQA Distribution (ADDC), and other emirates use other providers. Their tariffs and tools differ, and this guide does not cover them.

One distinction runs through everything below. Using less electricity or water is one thing. Paying a lower bill is another. DEWA's advice is about the first. How far it changes your bill depends on your use, DEWA's tariff, the monthly fuel surcharge and charges that do not depend on use at all.

How DEWA charges for electricity and water

DEWA's tariff page explains that it uses a slab tariff: the price per unit rises progressively as your monthly electricity and water consumption rises. A fuel surcharge is added to the monthly bill. DEWA says it varies with the price of the fuel supplied to its generation plants. The page also says 5% VAT applies to the published tariffs.

For residential customers, DEWA's page lists:

Electricity: four monthly bands. The first covers up to 2,000 kWh and the highest starts above 6,000 kWh.
Water: three monthly bands. The first covers up to 27 cubic metres and the highest starts above 54 cubic metres.

DEWA describes the tariff as intended to promote efficient consumption. On a DEWA bill, each band is listed on its own line, with the units in that band charged at that band's rate. So reducing your use can mean fewer units are charged at the higher rates. DEWA also offers a tariff calculator on its website.

Charges that do not depend on how much you use

Some charges on a DEWA bill do not fall when you use less. DEWA's tariff page lists a meter service charge by meter type.

For tenants in Dubai, the bill also carries a Dubai Municipality housing fee. On a DEWA bill it appears in a separate Dubai Municipality section, alongside sewerage, outside the DEWA electricity and water totals. Gulf News reports the fee as equivalent to 5% of the annual rent, and a tenant's DEWA bill checked for this guide matched that. It is based on rent, not on how much electricity or water you use, so using less does not reduce it.

Your own bill shows whether and how the fee applies to your home.

Air conditioning

DEWA's household tips start with air conditioning, and DEWA has repeated the 24°C advice in its summer campaigns. Its guidance is:

Keep the thermostat at 24°C or higher. DEWA says each degree of increase can save up to 5% of AC consumption.
Clean the AC filters regularly. DEWA's 2022 household tips put the minimum at once every three months and say clogged or dirty filters block airflow and reduce efficiency.
Keep doors and windows closed, and use weather stripping and caulking around them to keep cool air in.
DEWA puts an AC unit's optimal lifetime at nearly ten years and suggests considering an energy-efficient replacement if yours is older.

Peak hours are about the network, not your bill

DEWA's summer peak-load campaigns ask residents to move the use of energy-hungry appliances away from the hottest part of the afternoon. The appliances DEWA has named are irons, washing and drying machines, dishwashers, water heaters and electric ovens. The purpose is managing demand on the electricity network at peak times.

That is not a time-of-use tariff. DEWA's tariff page lists charges by monthly consumption and shows no time-of-day rates, so evening electricity is not priced lower there. Moving a wash to the evening changes when you use electricity, not how much you use. Treat the request as a contribution to the network, not a way to cut your bill.

DEWA publishes the exact peak hours in its current summer campaign. Check them on DEWA's website (opens in a new tab) or in the DEWA app.

When you are away

DEWA's 2026 summer campaign highlights two tools for households that travel:

Away Mode. Available on DEWA's website and smart app. DEWA says it sends daily or weekly reports and graphs of your electricity and water use to your email, so you can spot unusual consumption while you are away.
High Water Usage Alert. DEWA says it uses smart meter technology to send an instant notification when unusual consumption is detected beyond the meter. That can point to a leak.

Before you leave, DEWA also advises turning off the main water supply and inspecting internal connections. It advises repairing any leaks straight away.

DEWA tools for seeing where your use goes

DEWA's Smart Living initiative is available when you sign in to your DEWA account on its website or smart app. According to DEWA, it shows your bill details, tariff slabs and consumption patterns on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

DEWA's current Smart Living page also lists two other tools:

My Sustainable Living Programme. Compare your electricity and water consumption with similar homes. DEWA describes the comparison as being with similar efficient homes in your area.
Consumption Assessment Tool. Reached through the Smart Living dashboard. It asks about your consumption habits, your property, the number of people at home and the appliances you use, and is meant to help you find where you could use less.

What is likely to matter most

DEWA's guidance does not rank which change matters most in a particular home. That depends on the property, how many people live there and how it is used. What DEWA's own material shows:

Air conditioning is the first area in DEWA's household tips, and the one where DEWA gives a specific figure: up to 5% per degree.
Water leaks recur in DEWA's campaigns, and DEWA has built tools around finding them early.
DEWA also lists everyday habits, but its household tips put no figures on them.

DEWA's other household tips include:

Use LED lights, switch off lights you do not need, and use timers or motion sensors where they suit.
Use a microwave instead of the main oven when you can.
Hang clothes out to dry instead of using a dryer.
Set the fridge to 4°C and the freezer to -18°C, and check the door seals.
Check toilets and taps for leaks, and fit a water-efficient showerhead and tap aerators.
Water plants before 8 am or after 6 pm, and cover a swimming pool to cut evaporation.

A short checklist

Check your thermostat. Is it at 24°C or higher?
Clean your AC filters regularly.
Keep doors and windows closed and seal any gaps.
Sign in to your DEWA account and look at your daily and monthly use.
Try the Consumption Assessment Tool and the comparison with similar homes.
If you travel, activate Away Mode and turn off the main water supply.
Look at your bill to see which charges depend on use and which do not.
Check DEWA's current summer guidance for peak hours.

Start with the thermostat and the filters, then watch your dashboard to see whether your use changes. DEWA's pages were last read for this guide on 20 September 2026. Tariffs, tools and campaign advice can change, so check DEWA's website for the current position.