Dewa opens eco-friendly home contest

INITIATIVE HAS SAVED 18.2M GALLONS OF WATER AND 901,000KW/H OF ELECTRICITY

An eco contest open to residents who want to make their villas the most environmentally friendly in Dubai has saved roughly Dh1.1 million in energy and water costs since its first round in 2016, Dubai’s utility agency has said.

Dubbed the ‘Ideal Home’ initiative, now in its third round, the contest has saved 901,000 kWh of electricity, conserved more than 18,256,000 gallons of water and slashed 848 tonnes of carbon emissions, said the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) in a press release yesterday.

In February, winners of the second round were recognised.

The first place winner received an electric car, the second place winner Dh20,000, and the third winner Dh15,000. Winners from fourth to the tenth places received Dh10,000 each.

Additionally, photovoltaic solar systems will be installed on the rooftops of the 10 winners’ homes.

The effort is front and centre of 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,” said Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa, in a statement yesterday.

Dewa also helps “support economic growth without harming the environment and ■ ■ ■ ■ its resources”, Al Tayer said.

“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’s happiness,” Al Tayer said.

“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 per cent by 2030,” he said.

To help customers enrol in the Ideal Home initiative, Dewa has organised a free e-training course through the authority’s website. The course includes short films on the criteria of the initiative’s partners and how customers can transform their homes into an ideal home.

Upon completion of all course requirements, and passing the final exam successfully with a result of 90 per cent or more, the customer will receive a certificate from Dewa and acceptance into the programme.