When rumours circulated in the mainÂstream media that DEWA might be on the verge of hiking its prices, there was a mild surge of panic among the paying public.
There were a few reasons for this. Inflation is already running high. People are experiencing higher costs of living and businesses are feeling the pinch on overheads. Also, people just aren’t used to the idea. Electricity and water charges in the emirate have been the same for almost 10 years, with the last increase coming in 1998. Few nations could match such price stability.
However, with stability has come complaÂcency. When measured on a per capita basis, and compared internationally, use of both elecÂtricity and water run high in the emirate. JudgÂing by the graph below, it’s just part of living in a harsh environment. But with the UAE ranked 10th in the world for power consumption, indiÂcations are everyone who lives and works in the region could be doing more to curb usage and conserve energy.
Renewable resources are one option under investigation and receiving plenty of investÂment. Sustainability is another popular catchÂphrase, especially where new developments are involved. Though one architect visiting the region did question how sustainable buildÂing ‘glass refrigerators in the desert’ could be? All these things will eventually have an impact of some sort on how utility resources are consumed, but this impact will be far from immediate.
In the shorter term, greater gains may be made through more careful usage. Efficiency is the cause trumpeted by the companies and bodies who back district cooling. With a large proportion of Dubai’s electricity used up by air conditioning, the use of centralised cooling plants to chill buildings can lead to cost and conÂsumption savings. Most developers turning to district cooling are attracted by the over all savÂings to be made.
Clearly this demonstrates that the right ecoÂnomic benefits can motivate a change in behavÂiour, resulting in more efficient use of Dubai’s very finite power capacity.
So if consumers need to be encouraged to use power and water more carefully, maybe a price hike wouldn’t be a bad idea after all?
