Dubai: Do you want to slash your utility bills by up to 30 per cent?
Consumers may now learn from experts on how to “green” their homes or offices by making small or big tweaks to reduce their electricity and water use.
The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) on Thursday launched the ‘My Energy, My Responsibility’ website, a one-stop site for the general community that contains proven and tested water and energy efficiency tips.
An average person in Dubai consumes around 12,500 kilowatt hours per year, equivalent to powering 130,000 100-watt light bulbs for an hour, figures from DSCE show.
As for water, an individual on average consumes around 160,000 litres per year. That’s like drinking 320,000 500-ml bottles of packaged water.
These numbers can be cut down drastically through simple measures that are mainly behaviour-driven. If consumers will learn to change their behaviour and thinking in the way they consume resources, they will surely benefit by seeing their utility bills go down and in return helping Mother Earth.
Ahmad Al Muhairbi, Secretary General of DSCE, said the council remains committed to its vision to being a role model for electricity and water efficiency, hence the launch of the site.
“DSCE designed the DSM Strategy to reduce electricity and water consumption in Dubai by 30 per cent by 2030, an ambitious target considering the current consumption rates. The ‘My Energy, My Responsibility’ initiative is a key enabling mechanism to enhance awareness amongst Dubai residents to achieve significant energy savings,” Al Muhairbi said.
The site offers six major areas where residents can save on their energy and water bill by: building an energy efficient home, purchasing energy efficient appliances, installing solar panels, applying efficient landscaping or irrigation, understanding and reducing their energy consumption, and becoming an energy expert.
For more information, visit: http://myenergymyresponsibility.ae/home.html
Top tips to slash your utility bills
1) Lighting: Replace your lighting with energy efficient LED bulbs that are 85 per cent more energy efficient than conventional bulbs. Each LED lamp can save you up to Dh1,000 over its lifetime.
2) Temperature: Set your AC thermostat to 24C and even to 28C in unused rooms. Switch it off when you’re away. Also consider replacing your old window-type AC with split or ducted AC with the highest ESMA energy rating.
3) Appliances: Buy appliances with 5-star energy labels. A 5-star refrigerator can save you up to 75 per cent on electricity compared to a 1-star rated fridge.
4) Taps. If you can fill a 1 litre-bottle bottle with water in less than 10 seconds, your water flow is too high. Try installing aerators.
5) Solar panels. A villa can generate 10,000kWh/year of clean energy from solar panels. This can also slash your electricity bills.
