Why is my DEWA bill so high?

1. It's the cooling season

DEWA says air conditioning is one of the largest parts of household electricity use, especially in the summer months. Its tips: caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows, keep them shut while the AC runs, clean the filters regularly, give each room its own controls where possible, and set the thermostat to 24°C on auto in summer (DEWA, Electricity Tips).

If your building has district cooling, your AC may be billed by a cooling company instead, or as a district cooling line on the DEWA bill. See District cooling charges in Dubai.

2. You moved into a higher slab

DEWA's price per unit rises as your monthly use rises (DEWA, Slab Tariff):

So a month of heavy use costs more per unit, not just more in total.

3. The fuel surcharge changed

On top of the slab tariff, DEWA adds a fuel surcharge per unit, and it rises or falls with the price of fuel supplied to DEWA's plants. For October 2026 it is 6 fils per kWh of electricity and AED 1.10 per m³ of water (DEWA, Slab Tariff).

4. Charges that aren't your electricity or water

A DEWA bill can include more than consumption (DEWA, Bill Explanation):

• Housing fee: 5% of your annual rent, divided into 12 monthly instalments.
• Sewerage: worked out from your water consumption.
• District cooling, on some bills, at the rate provided by Nakheel.
• Other services, detailed on the last page of the bill.

DEWA collects the housing, sewerage and irrigation fees on behalf of Dubai Municipality. VAT at 5% applies to DEWA's consumption charges but not to these fees (DEWA, Consumer FAQs).

5. Last month's balance was carried over

If a bill wasn't paid in full, the unpaid amount is added to the next bill as the previous balance. Overpayments work the other way and stay as credit (DEWA, Bill Payment).

6. The bill covers a different period

Each DEWA bill shows its period of consumption near the top (DEWA, Bill Explanation). Compare it with last month's before comparing the totals.

7. There may be a water leak

If you have a smart water meter, DEWA's High Water Usage Alert tells you when your use is higher than normal, which can mean a leak such as a broken pipe or a leaking toilet (DEWA, Consumer FAQs).

8. You're comparing gallons with cubic metres

Since the March 2025 billing cycle, DEWA measures water in cubic metres instead of imperial gallons. One cubic metre is 219.9692 gallons, so 4.16 m³ is 915 gallons (DEWA, Consumer FAQs). An older bill in gallons will show a much bigger number for the same amount of water.

What to do next

1. Read the bill line by line. Use DEWA's Bill Explanation page to match each line (DEWA, Bill Explanation).
2. Look at your consumption graph. DEWA's website and app show a graph of your electricity and water use (DEWA, Bill Payment).
3. Ask DEWA to verify. DEWA's Consumption Verification service offers a self-diagnosis, a scheduled call with a DEWA agent, or a site visit. The first two are free; the visit costs AED 175 or AED 500, depending on the meter type and size, if the meter is not faulty (DEWA, Consumer FAQs).
4. Call DEWA on 04 601 9999, which is open 24/7 (DEWA, Customer Care Centre Services).

See the change before the bill is due

Rasid is an app that keeps household bills and subscriptions in one place. Add DEWA by hand, or connect Gmail with read-only access so Rasid finds the bills DEWA emails you. Once Rasid has more than one DEWA bill, the bill's screen shows recent bills side by side, the average, and how much more or less this bill is than the last. For a bill with a due date, Rasid reminds you three days before, at 10:00.

Rasid does not pay bills and cannot lower your DEWA bill. You pay DEWA directly, and only DEWA can check your meter.