Let’s Make This Summer Green

Green

June 14, 2020, 10:48 am

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) continues its annual ‘Let’s Make This Summer Green’ campaign, which includes a number of simple tips that society members can follow to reduce electricity and water use. This is part of DEWA’s strategy to encourage society members to adopt sensible practices, which help protect the environment and reduce the carbon footprint. Tips include setting the air conditioning at 24° Celsius, and rescheduling appliances that use a lot of energy to the morning or the evening, away from the peak load hours from 12-6pm, using smart irrigation systems, and fixing any water leakages. The campaign also includes tips before travelling and other tips that are available on DEWA’s website and smart app.

As part of the campaign, DEWA organises a comprehensive programme that includes awareness lectures in government organisations, private companies, shopping malls, union co-ops, Ramadan Iftar tents set up by the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department and the UAE Red Crescent Authority, as well as other gatherings. This aims to spread the principles of environmental sustainability and urge the public to rationalise their electricity and water use, especially during the summer months and the holiday season. The campaign also includes awareness tips on DEWA’s social media channels to raise awareness about the importance of the rational use of resources and involve all customers and society members in the efforts to protect the environment and preserve natural resources. The campaign targeted 78,755 people during the past three years through 262 visits and a lectures organised by DEWA’s Conservation Team.

“DEWA attaches great importance to the environmental sustainability of Dubai. This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to establish a sustainable model of energy conservation that supports economic growth without damaging the environment or its resources and to make Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world by 2050. These efforts also support the Demand Side Management Strategy to reduce electricity and water use by 30% by 2030, and DEWA’s vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility. To achieve these targets, we adopt an integrated strategy to raise awareness about the importance of conservation and engaging customers and community members in protecting the environment and natural resources. We encourage everyone to adopt a responsible lifestyle in electricity and water use. We do this through initiatives and programmes that raise awareness about the importance of the sensible use of resources to support our efforts to protect the environment, reduce the carbon footprint, and ensure the sustainability of our natural resources, for generations to come,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

Amal Koshak, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at DEWA, noted that ‘Let’s Make This Summer Green’ campaign encourages community members to adopt positive practices in their daily lives to reduce electricity and water use. This can be achieved by making simple changes to their daily habits such as setting the AC to 24°C, unplugging electrical appliances when they are done using them, irrigating plants and gardens in the early morning or in the evening to reduce evaporation, and checking water connections to make sure there are no leaks. DEWA aims to make these simple practices a culture and daily habit for all. Koshak noted that the campaigns launched by DEWA during the past years achieved significant results in the rationalisation of consumption, and proved the importance of joint efforts to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment.

DEWA’s guidelines include conducting regular maintenance to AC units including cleaning and replacing the filter, ensuring all doors and windows are closed so cold air doesn’t escape, closing the water valve before going on vacation, using a specialist to check the water supply before traveling to avoid leakage, and unplugging electrical appliances. Connected devices, even if turned off, use 5-10% of electricity consumption at home.

The tips can be accessed on DEWA’s smart app or website www.dewa.gov.ae