Turn off the AC, please; Mercury to dip to 16°C in UAE

For those of us incensed with our rising water and power bill in the UAE, here’s respite from the skies – literally. 

Temperatures are set to dip to a nippy 16°C tonight in the country’s internal areas, the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), the UAE’s official weather forecaster, has predicted. 

The weatherman at the NCMS reckons that conditions will be generally cool around the rest of the country too, with minimum expected temperatures of 18°C in the UAE’s mountainous regions and a pleasant 22°C in coastal areas. 

However, for those of us having to venture out during daytime, the sun will still be unforgiving, as temperatures could still hit a high of 40°C in internal areas although they are not expected to shoot up more than 37°C in the coastal areas and will remain below 30°C in the mountainous regions of the country. 

The forecast for the day expects the weather to remain “relatively hot to moderate” during daytime, while it will turn “mild to fine during night”. 

In addition, afternoon temperatures in the eastern areas may be capped because of an expected cloud cover. “Partly cloudy over eastern areas with a chance of towering clouds by afternoon,” saysd the NCMS forecast. 

Wind speeds are expected to remain “light to moderate” at most times, remaining under 25 km/hour during most of the day although it may go up to 40 km/hour on occasions in the country’s coastal areas. 

“The relative humidity is likely to increase over some costal and internal areas during night and early morning, with a chance of fog over some of these areas. Sea is slight to moderate.” 

Top 3 Tips to Cool off Your Electric Bill 

1. When mercury falls outdoors, raise the temperature indoors: Ask yourself this – do I really want my AC on when it’s a pleasant 28°C outside? Unless you can’t open the windows at all, it’ll make sense to turn off your AC when you can. If you’re not comfortable switching it off altogether, consider raising the thermostat to an optimum level.

According to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), 75°F, or 24°C, is the optimum energy-saving level for an AC. See if you can live with that. 

2. Be a fan of ceiling fans: Fans can make you feel cooler, allowing you to turn your AC to a higher temperature and still feel just as cool. Central AC costs 70 times – yes, that’s correct – more to run than a fan. Imagine your savings if you switch completely to fans, at least in the cooler months of the year. 

3. Change for a better tomorrow: Switch to energy-efficient appliances and equipment. Dewa says that, if air-conditioning units are over 10 years old, your energy bills will be higher than the energy costs of most high-efficiency air-conditioners available today.

MUST READ:

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UAE temperatures to dip further: 8°C forecast

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