Utilities in Dubai. What DEWA is and How to Interact with it

When buying or renting real estate in Dubai, one of the essential items on the to-do list is connecting to utilities. In Dubai, issues of water supply, electricity supply, and sewerage are regulated by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).

The DEWA is a public company and the only utility services provider in Dubai.

Content:

• DEWA services
• How to Activate DEWA Services
• Activation Charges
• Payment Methods
• How Clients are Billed

DEWA services

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority bills a broad range of consumers, including physical persons (both locals and expats), companies, and public authorities, for water and electricity.

Types of services:

• Account activation when moving in. New or temporary property owners must pay a security deposit for their premises’ utilities. Water and electricity are connected within 15 hours from the time of payment.
• Utility disconnection when moving out. To arrange this, the owner or tenant must pay the current bills and submit a move-out request.
• Utility transfer when moving from on property to another. You will first need to pay for the current bills for electricity and water and then submit a move-to request.
• Sending notifications of water and electricity supply interruptions in case of temporary technical failures or maintenance on connecting lines.

Billing services:

• Providing convenient payment options.
• Providing refunds options.
• Issuing a clearance certificate. Issued on condition that the client has paid all their debts and submitted a request for a clearance certificate. This document is valid for 1 month from the date of issuance.
• Updating personal information (a phone number, email, etc.) of a DEWA client.

How to Activate DEWA Services

It is quite easy to become a DEWA client. Fill in a request, submit papers and pay the security deposit along with the activation charges.

You can submit your request online on the official website of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. You should provide the following data:

• from a property owner – the title deed;
• from a tenant – the ID number in the Ejari system.

In both cases, you need to specify the DEWA Premise Number that consists of nine digits. (You can find it on the entrance door or the house/apartment gate).

The set of documents submitted to DEWA includes:

• a copy of the tenancy agreement;
• a title deed or a purchase & sale contract;
• copies of the owner’s and the tenant’s passports;
• if the request is submitted on behalf of a third person, a notarized power of attorney from the owner/tenant.

Activation Charges

You will have to pay the following non-refundable charges upon buying or renting an apartment in Dubai to activate DEWA services:

• Connecting electricity and water in small premises – AED 100 ($27.23).
• Connecting utilities in large premises – AED 300 ($82).
• Registration fee – AED 10 ($2.72).
• Target innovation fee and knowledge fee – AED 10 ($72).

You will also need to pay a security deposit that can be refunded:

• for apartments – AED 2,000 ($544.5);
• for houses and villas – AED 4,000 ($1,089).

Payment Methods

You can pay utility bills in several ways:

• Via DEWA Smart App available on Google Play and App Store.
• On DEWA’s official website, however, it only supports payments with cards issued in one of the Persian Gulf countries.
• Via SMS after registering with MPay payment service.
• Via an e-Wallet.
• Via an Etisalat payment machine.
• At a bank – you can use your bank card.

How Clients are Billed

DEWA bills include charges for water, electricity, sewerage, and housing. The slab tariff and fuel tariff are used to calculate the monthly utility consumption. If your monthly consumption of water and electricity increases, its cost by the tariff scale also rises.

The fuel surcharge is included in the monthly DEWA bill. It is calculated based on the water (fils/imperial gallon) and electricity (fils/kWh) consumption volumes. Note: an imperial gallon is a unit of volume equal to 4.55 liters. Fils is a subdivision of currency in the UAE equal to AED 0.01 ($0.0027).

Electricity tariffs for commercial and residential real estate are as follows:

• up to 2000 kWh (monthly consumption) – AED 0.23 ($0.06);
• from 2001 to 4000 kWh – AED 0.28 (0.08 $);
• from 4001 to 6000 kWh – AED 0.32 ($0.09);
• from 6001 kWh and more – AED 0.38 ($0.10).

Check out more information about real estate in the UAE along with real-time prices for apartments in Dubai new development projects on Emirates.Estate. Our experienced team is always ready to answer your questions and give professional consultations on the Emirates real estate market.