# Cutting back costs in Dubai apartments



## snakesonaplane (Aug 10, 2013)

Hi All,

Newly arrived twenty-something gal in Dubai, and have just moved into a nice apartment in JBR. Has anyone got any suggestions about how to cut back on bills, as they seem to be a bit pricey. 

Any advice gratefully received. 

Cheers.


----------



## Robbo5265 (Oct 23, 2012)

Buy a cooling tower fan and do not use AC if at all possible, and eat at home!


----------



## Lamplighter (Jul 20, 2010)

Robbo5265 said:


> Buy a cooling tower fan and do not use AC if at all possible, and eat at home!


I think I'm correct that JBR is district cooling from Empower, and there is a capacity charge for the AC (chiller fee) which is billable regardless of your consumption.

I guess someone from JBR can advise the usual split between capacity and consumption charges.

Careful use of AC will of course save money, but using alternative cooling methods (eg a tower fan) might not generate as much savings as you would hope or anticipate.


----------



## Robbo5265 (Oct 23, 2012)

Lamplighter said:


> I think I'm correct that JBR is district cooling from Empower, and there is a capacity charge for the AC (chiller fee) which is billable regardless of your consumption.
> 
> I guess someone from JBR can advise the usual split between capacity and consumption charges.
> 
> Careful use of AC will of course save money, but using alternative cooling methods (eg a tower fan) might not generate as much savings as you would hope or anticipate.


I live in Rimal and our side of the building is permanently in the shade so fortunately AC is not a must have and a cooling fan is sufficient.


----------



## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

I am not sure whether you rented or are sharing, but if you had chosen to live in a hotel apartment you could have dodged all together Dewa and internet. I saved tons doing thisas it is part of the "package" granted in my allowance.

And yes eat at home because where you live restos are expensive. In fact everything. The neighbourhood of choice has its consequences.


----------



## Lamplighter (Jul 20, 2010)

Robbo5265 said:


> I live in Rimal and our side of the building is permanently in the shade so fortunately AC is not a must have and a cooling fan is sufficient.


Can you opt out of the centralised a/c altogether, or do you still have to pay an amount for capacity charge and common areas? I guess from what you say, it is not a substantial/significant proportion of the would-be bill.


----------



## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Canuck_Sens said:


> I am not sure whether you rented or are sharing, but if you had chosen to live in a hotel apartment you could have dodged all together Dewa and internet. I saved tons doing thisas it is part of the "package" granted in my allowance.


Yes, she could have also saved money by getting a job that pays a higher salary too. Or maybe even not came to Dubai, that's how you save 100% on your DEWA bills.


----------



## Robbo5265 (Oct 23, 2012)

Lamplighter said:


> Can you opt out of the centralised a/c altogether, or do you still have to pay an amount for capacity charge and common areas? I guess from what you say, it is not a substantial/significant proportion of the would-be bill.


That is something that is still a mystery! I still have to pay a quarterly standing charge (approx 650 Aed) and around 50 -60 Aed per month even though i do not use ac and have been told that this for the centralised ac for public areas?


----------



## snakesonaplane (Aug 10, 2013)

Thanks for the helpful replies...so basically it's impossible to opt out entirely of AC charges? They've got this one sewn up...


----------



## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Turn the aircon off at night and use a fan.


----------



## Robbo5265 (Oct 23, 2012)

snakesonaplane said:


> Thanks for the helpful replies...so basically it's impossible to opt out entirely of AC charges? They've got this one sewn up...


Yes they have it stiiched up! I made several enquiries to Empower, Taziz, the owner etc and no one is really sure but they even had the audacity to say that 50-60 aed per month and a. Standing charge is not a lot to pay!!,


----------



## Lamplighter (Jul 20, 2010)

twowheelsgood said:


> Turn the aircon off at night and use a fan.


Let me hijack the thread with a little technology 

[tech]

There are two aspects to most centralised a/c systems: the fan control, and the temperature set-point.

Usually on the wall controller, you can switch the fan on/off and set the speed, and it will typically run that way continuously.

The other setting is temperature set-point. The wall controller monitors the ambient temperature through a thermostat, and when it needs to bring the ambient temperature down to meet the set point, it opens a valve to take in the centralised chilled water (which is metered). The water pipes run through a heat exchanger, and this cools the air being recirculated by the fan. When the ambient temperature has dropped slightly below the set point, the chilled water valve closes. When you hear the thermostat periodically clicking on and off, the system is opening and closing this water valve.

Your consumption charge for centralised AC systems relates only to the amount of chilled water you consume, and it has nothing to do with whether the fan is running, or at what speed (except for the comparitively low electrical power consumption of the fan motor).

Consequently:
- if you set the temperature high, then the a/c system can recirculate the air without cooling it, and you don't consume chilled water - this is often preferable to just switching the a/c system off altogether;
- when initially cooling a room, always run the fan on high speed to increase the cooling rate, and therefore reduce the time the water valve is open;
- you can normally adjust the vanes on the air inlets - if you close (or partially close) these in rooms you seldom use, or don't require so much cooling, you force a greater proportion of air into to the main rooms, which will cool more quickly;
- always make sure you have good airflow in the location of the thermostat, not always possible given the crappy design of some apartment layouts.

[/tech]

Perhaps common knowledge to some, but I hope useful to others.

Cheers, Lamp


----------



## plckid (Jul 25, 2013)

That is really good information. So,Does chiller free means I just pay for the fan or even that is free.


----------



## Lamplighter (Jul 20, 2010)

plckid said:


> That is really good information. So,Does chiller free means I just pay for the fan or even that is free.


I am not in the property sector, and there seems to be some variation as to how the term is used.

My understanding is that "chiller free" normally refers to a building with centralised a/c where the fixed charges (i.e. capacity fee & common areas usage) are not borne by the tenant; I would still expect a charge for chilled water consumption. However, I do know of people whose landlords cover the full district cooling bill.

In most cases the power supply to the a/c system fan and controller is fed from the distribution board within the apartment, so electrical consumption would be captured by the DEWA meter. Check to see if the a/c is listed on the outgoing circuit breakers in the DB cabinet, or to confirm, briefly switch off your incoming power to see if the a/c fan continues to run. Typically, the power costs will be rather less that the chilled water costs.


----------

