Dubai: Travelling this summer? How to avoid shocking Dewa bills while you're away

Are you all set to go for your summer holidays? Before you leave home, make sure you have activated the ‘Away Mode’ on your utilities app to keep an eye on water and electricity usage to avoid unexpectedly high bills when you return from vacation.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) reminded its customers, on June 14, to take proactive measures before travelling. It advised them to switch off and unplug electrical appliances when they are not home to avoid energy drain in standby mode.

Another precautionary measure is to activate the ‘Away Mode’ feature on their account through Dewa’s website and smart app.

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No shocking bill

The ‘Away Mode’ service enables customers to monitor their electricity and water usage while travelling as they can receive daily or weekly data by email from Dewa. They will be informed if there’s any anomaly in their water and electricity usage while they’re away.

This will help prevent a repeat of what happened to a British expat back in August last year who was shocked to receive a staggering Dh20,179 Dewa bill upon returning from a holiday.

Dewa said they send out ‘high water usage alert’ to help customers detect any leaks in water connections. The system sends instant notifications to customers if the smart meter system detects any unusual increase in consumption.

Other measures

Dewa said customers can also reduce electricity consumption by modifying their lighting control systems to automatic switching on and off as needed.

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