Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) launched the Ideal Home initiative for the third time, to encourage customers to compete amongst each other in adopting conservation and the best sustainable practices to achieve happy and ideal homes, by meeting the requirements of the 9 government organisations involved in the initiative: Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), the Community Development Authority in Dubai (CDA), Dubai Smart Government, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, the General Directorate of Civil Defence, and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs-Dubai. This supports DEWA’s efforts to establish sustainability in Dubai and the UAE, and make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world.
“We are keen to launch leading initiatives to support sustainability, raise community awareness about best practices, and enhance Dubai’s position on the map of smart cities globally. This supports the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to establish Dubai as the smartest and happiest city in the world, to create a sustainable model for saving energy and to support economic growth without harming the environment and its resources. This also supports the UAE Centennial 2071 which shapes the UAE of the future, and the Dubai Plan 2021 make Dubai a smart and sustainable city whose environmental elements are clean, healthy and sustainable,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
“In our third Ideal Home initiative, we continue our efforts to raise awareness about the best practices in homes, to promote the ideal home culture, achieve the highest standards of sustainable living, improve energy efficiency and enhance partnership opportunities to provide comprehensive and innovative government services and achieve society happiness. The participants compete in implementing the best standards of sustainability, health, security, environment, indoor air quality, public safety, community responsibility, smart transformation, emergency preparation and abiding by residential laws. DEWA aims to encourage consumers to conserve electricity and water, to support the Demand Side Management Strategy 2030 to reduce energy and water consumption by 30% by 2030,” added Al Tayer
Al Tayer highlighted that the initiative has seen huge participation from customers and achieved remarkable success in 2016 and 2017. The initiative achieved total savings exceeding 901,000 kWh of electricity and over 18,256,000 gallons of water, and contributed to reducing over 848 tonnes of carbon emissions. The total financial savings achieved exceeded AED 1,153,000.
Free electronic session
DEWA organised a free e-training course for customers who wish to participate in this year’s Ideal Home initiative, on DEWA’s smart application or website. The course includes short films on the criteria of the initiative’s partners and how customers can to transform their homes into an ideal home. Upon completion of all the course requirements, and passing the final exam successfully with a result of 90% or more, the customer will receive a certificate from DEWA, which will allow him or her to participate in the Ideal Home initiative award and get the opportunity to win great prizes.
Once the customer is eligible to participate in the award, a joint team from DEWA, Taqati and Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad ESCO) will visit the house to conduct a technical check-up on energy efficiency and prepare a detailed report. A list of tips and guidelines will be offered to the customer on the definition and criteria of an ideal home.
At the end of the competition for the Ideal Home initiative award, the homeowners who have implemented the highest standards and requirements of the 10 partners of the initiative will be recognised. The winners will receive cash prizes and the free installation of solar panels for five winners to enable them to generate electricity from solar power. This is part of DEWA’s Shams Dubai initiative to promote reliance on clean energy and support sustainability efforts in Dubai.