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Consumers will soon face a new tariff on electricity and water to try and promote reasonable consumption and protect the environment, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) said.
The sliding scale tax, known as a slab tariff, will be launched next month. Under the new plan, residents will only have to pay an additional tariff if their consumption rises above normal levels.
Dewa added the system will not affect the majority of consumers and UAE nationals will be excluded at this stage for their houses and farms.
Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dewa, said 80 per cent of consumers would not be affected by the new tariff structure since they fall into the first slab in the system.
The tax, however, will encourage customers who fall into higher categories to minimise their consumption rates in order to move towards the first category slab, he said.
“The new system ensures our natural and energy resources are better managed for the socio-environmental benefits of the emirate.
The community has to be more reasonable in the way resources are used. For this purpose, Dewa is launching a new series of emirate-wide awareness and educational programmes for the public to disseminate the culture of conserving electricity and water,” Al Tayer said.
“We firmly believe there is an escalating necessity to implement responsible energy consumption strategies. The new tariff system will encourage people to keep a closer eye on their electricity and water consumption. It will also pave the way towards a more responsible utilisation of natural resources.
The slab tariff restructuring move will help Dubai to meet one of the major global challenges and to integrate a conservation culture within the society.”
The average individual consumption of 20,000 kilowatt hours per annum and 130 gallons of water per day puts Dubai among cities with highest consumption rates.
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