How to reduce DEWA bill? Reduce Electricity and Water bill

How to reduce DEWA bill – Reduce Electricity and Water bill?

Last month I was in for bit of a surprise from the DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority). My electricity and water had been an all-time high of my existence in Dubai. And the sweltering summer coupled with my wife being home with my kid did not help the fact.

By using some simple tricks and certain amount of common sense I was able to at least able to reduce 20% of the bill. And yes, you do not need to sacrifice the little comforts.

I am a gadget freak! (And there are people better than me at this in Dubai!). I have a laptop running round the clock, 3 split air condition units, a refrigerator which is running non stop, 2 fans, 3 geysers, light bulbs and so on the average household has.

The million dollar question was how do I reduce the electricity and water consumption? And could I still use all my gadgets and still draw a less power? Besides paying rent, DEWA bill has caused havoc in my monthly budget:

I followed the below simple tricks and could see my bill dropping at least 20%:

Unplug the devices you rarely use

1. Go around your house and switch off all the lights, exhaust fans, the devices on stand by. Yes, electronic devices still use a little amount of electricity while in stand-by mode. So kick the habit.
2. If you have those old incandescent bulbs, get rid of them. Replace them with the LED lights which are much efficient in handling electricity. CFL’s take time to warm up and give the maximum light from the word go. The moral of the above points is that you turn off all the devices, lights when not using them. See the difference to yourself.
3.  Unplug all the devices that you do not use or rarely use. TV, that treadmill which is lying in your balcony….switch it off and unplug it from the socket. This way you ensure that they do not unnecessarily use electricity.

Efficient use of Air Conditioning

ACs are power guzzlers when it comes to electricity. Happy are those who have Central Air Conditioning provided by the building. In this case as well, keep the temperature at 24 degrees C, which is healthy for a human being. (Is this a right guess?)

And for those not so lucky living in Window AC and Split AC apartments, I have an ingenious solution! I believe that at least 50% or much more of the electricity usage in the summer time in this part of the world goes towards AC. The same reflects on your bill. The 2 ACs in my house are on for continuous 10 hours. What a comfort. I have an idea. I switch on the AC when I sleep, put it on timer for say 6 hours. The room is cooled and I save at least 4 hours of AC time which turns into a great savings. Isn’ t that great? Or how about using fan during the day time. Do not let a lot of sunlight into the house during the day. This helps letting the house be cool. And yes, don’t forget to provide proper maintenance for the AC and replace that 10-year-old AC with latest power efficient AC.

Computers

Some of us have bad habit of keeping the computers/laptops on throughout the time they are not used. Although they might save you start-up time, they end up consuming a lot of power.

Watch that Water

Water consumption is directly linked to 2 main areas, The kitchen and the Wash Room. Wash room uses the maximum amount of water.

Here are the steps that I followed:

1. Though it is soothing to be under the shower for a long time, reduce the time to just under 4 minutes. An average person does not need any time longer.
2. User shower rather than bathtub.
3. Use washing machine in economy mode. I would prefer to wash my shirts through hand wash.
4. Do you really require that dishwasher?

Finally see which device other than AC is consuming more energy. By following these points I am sure that you will save a good amount of energy. I did. These are not drastic steps, but they help reduce a considerable amount of electricity and water.

Save electricity, save water. It is good for the environment too!