DEWA combines digital tools and behavioural science to drive summer efficiency gains

This summer, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is leveraging behavioural science to reshape customer habits and boost household efficiency by integrating real-time data and social comparisons into its innovative digital services. The approach – which sends timely notifications and advice tailored to individual consumption patterns – is expected to empower households to make informed decisions to reduce waste and optimise electricity and water consumption. This encourages them to manage their consumption efficiently, and evaluate the positive impacts achieved by increasing consumption efficiency.

In line with its campaign held under the theme ‘Expand Your Smart Choices This Summer’, DEWA continues its efforts to empower customers to manage their consumption through innovative digital solutions and personalised advice, particularly during the summer. This helps customers improve the efficiency of their electricity and water consumption and reduce their carbon footprint. To help customers put these efforts into long-term practice, DEWA offers a smart suite of tools that include:

Smart Living Initiative

This initiative allows customers to monitor their bills and tariff brackets, and to track electricity and water consumption on a daily, weekly and monthly basis through a dashboard on DEWA’s smart app and website.

My Sustainable Living Programme

This programme allows customers to rethink their everyday consumption by turning data into meaningful action, thereby encouraging them to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. It includes several key features such as a dashboard that lets customers compare their consumption with similar high-efficiency homes in their area, a dynamic profile that ensures comparisons are accurate,  tailored tips and a step-by-step plan to guide their conservation efforts, along with monthly reports on their electricity and water use. Customers can benefit from the features of the My Sustainable Living programme by following these simple steps:

• Log in to the customer account via the DEWA smart app or website

• Scroll down to the My Sustainable Living programme dashboard

• Click ‘More’ to see how the household's consumption compares to similar homes

• See how their electricity and water use compares to neighbouring high-efficiency homes

Consumption Assessment Tool 

This smart tool enables residential customers to assess their electricity and water consumption in a simple and effective manner. It relies on a smart questionnaire in which users record detailed information about their residence, the number of people and the devices they use. They then receive a report that includes an analysis of consumption patterns and personalised tips on how to improve efficiency and reduce waste. The tool enhances customer awareness of consumption patterns and enables them to make decisions based on clear data, supporting DEWA's efforts to build a more sustainable and resource-efficient society.

Customers can benefit from the Consumption Assessment Tool through a few simple steps:

• Log in to the customer account via the smart app or DEWA's website

• Select Consumption Assessment Tool from the smart services

• Fill out the survey form, which includes detailed information about their home

• Receive an immediate report, including their consumption efficiency score, along with an analysis of strengths and areas for improvement

• Put tailored tips into action to improve their home’s electricity and water efficiency

Other services and features include:

High Water Usage Alert: this service instantly notifies customers of unusual consumption beyond the meter, helping them to identify detect leaks early on.

Away Mode: this tool allows customers to monitor their electricity and water use while travelling by providing daily or weekly data by email.

Tips for managing consumption

DEWA offers customers tips to help them reduce waste and protect the environment, including using insulation strips to seal openings to keep cool air inside the home, unplugging appliances instead of keeping them in stand-by mode, setting the thermostat to 24°C or higher, setting the refrigerator thermostat to maintain a temperature of 4°C in the chilled section and -18°C in the freezer section, adopting smart irrigation to avoid waste from evaporation, and running dishwashers and washing machines with a full load. General tips and guidelines on managing consumption can be found on DEWA’s smart app and website. Visit https://www.dewa.gov.ae/summer to learn more.