DEWA Bills: How to Pay for Utilities in Dubai and Save Money

Those who plan to settle down in Dubai will soon face the problem of how to pay their utility bills. The state-owned company, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, or DEWA, is responsible for water supply, sewerage, and electricity. In this article, we will tell you where to pay DEWA bill.

• How to Activate DEWA Services in Dubai
• Mandatory Fields in the DEWA Application Form
• What Papers Do I Need to Activate DEWA Services
• Payment Options: How to Pay DEWA Bills
• What Happens If I Fail to Pay on Time?
• How to Deactivate DEWA Services
• Refund of the Security Deposit
• DEWA Away Mode
• How to Reduce Your DEWA Bills
• Some General Tips from DEWA on Electricity Consumption

How to Activate DEWA Services in Dubai

DEWA is the result of a merger between the Dubai Water Department and the Dubai Electricity Company. Founded in 1992 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, DEWA is now the only utilities provider in the emirate.

All processes related to the activation and deactivation of services, as well as payments, function almost flawlessly. Read on to learn more about how to handle DEWA bills.

Landlords and Tenants

Those who rent or rent out properties are in an advantageous position. Their DEWA services are activated automatically. This is done by the Ejari system, where all rental contracts are registered, without exception. Once the contract gets its ID number, all your data is automatically transferred to DEWA. Next, the system creates an account for your property.

The landlord and the tenant receive a text message and a welcome email from DEWA with instructions on how to pay a security deposit online or via any other authorised payment channel. All that is left to do is to pay the deposit, and the services will be activated in 15 hours.

The deposit depends on the type of housing:

• 2000 AED for apartments
• 4000 AED for villas

In addition, there is a utility activation fee that includes:

• 100 AED for small meters and 300 AED for big meters
• 10 AED registration fee
• 10 AED knowledge fee
• 10 AED innovation fee

NOTE: if you have a Thukher and Sanad card, you will get a 50% discount on the utility activation fee.

Those who move into their own home

Owners of apartments and houses in Dubai who intend to live there themselves, have two options to activate DEWA services.

• Online. You download an application form from the official DEWA website, fill it out and submit it online. After that, you have to pay a security deposit and pay for the activation. You can do this using the online payment service on the DEWA website. You will receive payment confirmation by email. The services will be activated in 24 hours.
• Offline.You can do this at the nearest DEWA Customer Happiness Centre in Dubai. The customer gets an application form, fills it out and submits it. Then, at the payment counter, the customer pays a security deposit, pays for the activation and gets a receipt. The services are activated in 24 hours.
  

Mandatory Fields in the DEWA Application Form

• Title deed details
• Emirates ID
• Passport details for UAE citizens or any of the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia).

What Papers Do I Need to Activate DEWA Services

• A completed and signed application form
• A document confirming property ownership or a copy of the purchase contract

Payment Options: How to Pay DEWA Bills

Below are the 12 DEWA bill payment options for those who live in Dubai.

DEWA online mobile app. DEWA’s multilingual mobile app is available for both Apple and Android devices. With this app, you can easily view and pay your monthly electricity and water bills.

In addition, the app provides statistics on your electricity consumption for any period starting from the date of service activation. The app also analyses the subscriber’s expenses and offers a plan for saving resources and money.

DEWA website. Alternatively, you can use a web version of the DEWA user-friendly app. Here, you can also view and pay your bills online, but first you need to create an account.

EPay Service. You can pay utility bills on the EPay service website. Use your UAE passport or residence ID to login or create a new account.

NOTE: this service only accepts cards issued by the banks of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The maximum amount that you can pay in one transaction is AED 200,000. If the outstanding bill is more than this amount, you can pay in several transactions.

EasyPay. EasyPay users can pay their DEWA bills on the app or on the website. You can login with your DEWA account to check bills online and pay via Dubai Now or Dubai Pay with a credit card or a debit card.

Empay. With the Empay mobile service launched by the UAE government, users can pay not only for DEWA services, but also fees to other companies, such as Salik, Dubai's road toll system, or Etisalat, a telecommunication company, and also fines. Download the app in Google Play, AppStore or Huawei AppGallery, sign up and get Empay Wallet, an online wallet that you can replenish in the app. You can then use this wallet to make payments.

Dubai Now. The Dubai Now mobile service is the first unified hub for smart government services. It offers more than 130 services in a wide variety of areas: from the police and courts to health care and education. Here, you can not only find the appropriate institution, but also sign a contract online (for example, with a school), as well as pay the bills, DEWA bills included.

Banks. Customers can pay for utilities at banks that work with DEWA, as well as via ATMs of most banks in Dubai.

In addition, bank account holders can pay by phone banking. Finally, if you have a current account at any DEWA partner bank, you can set a monthly automatic payment to DEWA for the amount of the next utility bill.

At Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic Bank, and Mashreq Bank you can pay your DEWA bill using an instalment plan. 

DEWA Customer Happiness Centres. There are six Customer Happiness Centres in Dubai. They all accept all types of payments, including cash and cheques.

Apple Pay. If you have an Apple account, you can pay your DEWA bills with Apple Pay, using a supported credit or debit card valid in the UAE.

Etisalat payment machines. You can also pay DEWA bills using the payment machines of Etisalat, the region’s largest telecommunication corporation. You can find them anywhere across the UAE.

NOTE: here you can only pay with cash.

Tayseer. With the Tayseer platform, you can pay your DEWA bills with cash or cheques from all banks. First, you need to create a Tayseer ID number by entering all bank details in the appropriate section of the DEWA website or app. Then, you can pay your DEWA bill via Emirates NBD cheque machines or through bank transfers using this ID number.

EPPCO and ENOC. You can also pay your DEWA bill at PPCO and ENOC petrol and service stations scattered across Dubai, but cash only.

What Happens If I Fail to Pay on Time?

If you fail to pay for utilities by the date mentioned in the bill, you will get three reminders about an outstanding payment within the next 14 days. They are sent via text message and email. After that, the services are deactivated and reactivated four hours after the full payment is received.

How to Deactivate DEWA Services

You can also deactivate DEWA services. This is called the DEWA Move-out service. This is very handy if you move out or if the property is up for sale.  All you need to do is submit a Move-out request online or at the Customer Happiness Centre in Dubai.

The services will be deactivated in about 24 hours after the request submission. You will also receive a final DEWA bill by email. You need to pay it to get your deposit back.

There are charges you have to pay for deactivation:

• deactivation of electricity and water: 100 AED (small meters), 300 AED (large meters)
• knowledge fee: 10 AED
• innovation fee: 10 AED.

NOTE: if you have a Thukher and Sanad card, you will get a 50% discount on the utility deactivation fee.

Refund of the Security Deposit

DEWA always refunds security deposits. Western Union, DEWA’s partner, is the most convenient, fastest and safest way to do this.

You can receive your security deposit at any Western Union office in any country. You need to request a refund through the official DEWA website or app and select Western Union as payment option. After you get confirmation that the deposit is ready, you can pick it up wherever is convenient for you.

DEWA Away Mode

When going on a trip, you can set your DEWA account to Away Mode. You will get daily and weekly emails on water consumption while away from home in Dubai. All you need to do is submit an application on the official website.

How to Reduce Your DEWA Bills

DEWA Smart Living initiative helps you to analyse your individual pattern of water and electricity consumption and reduce your expenses. Any DEWA customer can participate in the initiative.

The first step is to take a survey about your consumption habits. The second step is to get a detailed consumption report, as well as personalised tips on how to reduce consumption and your DEWA bill.

Some General Tips from DEWA on Electricity Consumption

• Replace your air conditioner that is more than 10 years old with a new energy-efficient model.
• Clean air conditioner filters regularly (at least once every three months), especially during the summer.
• Set your air conditioner to 24°C or higher. When you leave the house for a longer period of time, set the air conditioner to 27°C in automatic mode.
• Air-dry your clothing instead of using the dryer.
• Avoid watering your plants on chilly days. On warmer days, water plants early in the morning before 8 a.m. and later in the evening after 6 p.m. This ensures that water does not evaporate quickly.
• Install faucet aerators in the kitchen and bathroom. This will reduce the water supply by 40%.
• Wash and rinse fruits and vegetables in a water pot, not in running water.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
• Get yourself a dishwasher with a 5- or 4-star energy efficiency rating from ESMA. They are 50% more efficient and consume 30% less water.
• Start your dishwasher and washing machine only if they are full and, if possible, set a lower rinsing time.

In a Nutshell

DEWA is easy to work with and all processes are strictly regulated. There is a downside though: there is no excuse for not paying for utility services on time. However, there is also an upside to this: your bills will never pile up. DEWA also makes sure that the users pay less, not more. Why do they do this? DEWA expects its customers to save energy and thereby reduce the strain on infrastructure.

Cover photo: Freepik