All about Empower Dubai

Empower Dubai was launched as a joint venture between TECOM Investments and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). The vision is to offer a centralised cooling solution to the city that experiences hot and humid weather for most part of the year. 

Empower offers an eco-friendly and energy efficient district cooling system that is different from the traditional cooling options in Dubai. 

Today, we will discover Empower energy solutions in Dubai, the objective, the cost, the process, and the implications. 

WHAT IS EMPOWER IN DUBAI? 

As per a royal decree by Dubai Ruler, Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (EMPOWER) was initiated in the year 2003. Empower Dubai was established to provide the real estate industry a medium for utilising energy resources.  

Empower Dubai is basically a district cooling service provider established as a joint venture between TECOM Group and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). 

It started its operation in 2004 with a temporary plant. The single plant served DIFC (the financial district of Dubai) and today it has 65 plus plants. Furthermore, Empower now holds around 1.640 million Refrigeration Tons (RT) district cooling capacity. The service provider now has more than 100,000 corporate and individual consumers across the Emirate. 

Besides, the company is providing cooling services to many major projects such as Business Bay, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai International Financial Centre, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Healthcare City, Deira Waterfront and many others well-known projects. 

To avail the district cooling services, complete Empower registration in Dubai is a mandatory requirement. Let’s find out how to register for Empower Dubai:

HOW TO REGISTER ON EMPOWER DUBAI 

The registration process is seamless, property owners and tenants can register online on Empower Dubai for district cooling services. Before Empower registration in Dubai, make sure to keep the scanned copies of required documents ready.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR EMPOWER REGISTRATION IN DUBAI

In order to register on Empower Dubai the documents required to be uploaded on the portal are listed below, category wise:

If the property’s ownership is under an individual’s name, these documents should be submitted:

• Sales and Purchase Contract or Title Deed 
• Copy of passport with signature page

If the property’s ownership is under a company’s name, then you need to submit the following documents:

• Sales and Purchase Contract or Title Deed 
• Trade licence or an Incorporation certificate in case of overseas companies 
• Authorised person’s passport copy 

If the tenancy contract is under an individual’s name, then upload these documents: 

• Tenancy contract or Ejari Dubai 
• Copy of Emirates ID including the front and back sides 
• Visa page copy

If the tenancy contract is under a company’s name, you will have to submit:

• Trade licence
• Copy of authorised person’s passport 
• Tenancy contract or Ejari 
• Copy of Emirates ID including the front and back sides 

Below are the steps listed along with conditions involved in Empower Dubai registration: 

If you are a new user on Empower Dubai:

1. Open E-services page 
2. Select ‘E-REGISTRATION New Customer Landlord/Tenant’ tab
3. Enter your Email address and Mobile number
4. Create your account to register
5. Login with your new user credentials and select ‘New Registration Request’
6. Select your property’s project name, unit number and building name or enter your DEWA account number
7. Upload the required documents 
8. Accept the terms and conditions and click submit 

If you are a registered user on Empower Dubai and want to make a New Registration Request, you can select the ‘E-SERVICE Login / Sign up’ tab and follow the same steps. 

Similarly, if you have not signed up for Empower Dubai e-Services, but you are a user of district cooling services, you should select the ‘E-SERVICE Login / Sign up’ tab and the rest of the steps are the same. 

It is also worthwhile to note that the new account is activated after the registration is completed. Upon successful completion of registration, applicants are notified with their respective ‘request reference number’ via an SMS and Email. Besides, they can track their request status online via the e-services page by clicking on ‘Track Pending Registration Request tab. 

IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE REGARDING REGISTRATION

The registration process will be completed only after the clearance of outstanding balance (if any) on active accounts under the name of the same individual/company.

• If an individual or company has an active Empower account and has not cleared the outstanding balance, their registration process will not be completed.
• It takes around one to three working days to process the registration. 
• You can email erequest@empower.ae for any questions regarding the online Empower Dubai registration.

EMPOWER DUBAI SERVICE CHARGES 

Connection fee and administration fee, along with security deposit are applicable at the time of registration. The registration charges however, vary depending on the project and location of the building that are provided at the time of online registration. These charges are to be paid by the unit owner or tenant applying for new Empower Dubai registration. 

Besides, there are different Empower charges in Dubai applicable that are detailed as under: 

CONSUMPTION CHARGES

Consumption Charges are recorded from the metre installed at the property. The metre yields the units based on the usage of district cooling. The units are billed at a rate of AED 0.568 fils per RT (Refrigeration Ton) per hour.

DEMAND CHARGES

Demand Charges are recurring yearly service charges that are to be paid on a monthly basis in advance, given the number of days in a month. The Demand Charge bill is to be paid regularly in order to avail consistent supply of cooling services. It is charged at the rate of AED 750 per RT per annum.

FUEL SURCHARGES 

According to the Supreme Council of Energy in Dubai, DEWA holds the authority to increase 15% of the tariff amount in the existing electricity and water consumption slabs. Therefore, district cooling service providers are required to inform the consumers about the increase in tariff and fuel surcharge, provided by DEWA. 

METRE MAINTENANCE FEE 

The metre maintenance fee is paid on a quarterly basis. It  includes all the charges of metre reading, testing and its maintenance. The fee is charged either at a rate of AED 30 per month or at a rate of AED 50 quarterly, as the maintenance fee charges are billed according to the location. 

CONNECTION CHARGES 

Connection charges are one-time payables, incurred during registration with Empower Dubai. It is paid by the owner of the property or tenant. 

ADMINISTRATION CHARGES

Administration charges are also one-time payables that are to be paid by the owner or tenant on Empower Dubai registration time. 

DISCONNECTION FEE

In the case of outstanding bills, the district cooling service will be discontinued. A disconnection fee of AED 1000 is charged for residential property, whereas, AED 2000 is charged from retail units. 

Once you pay the outstanding amount including the disconnection fee, you can resume using district cooling service by Empower Dubai, using the pre-registered account. 

METRE TESTING FEE

Empower Dubai does not charge metre testing fee if a customer requests for it, given that the metre is faulty. However, if the metre is working perfectly, the customer is charged a fee of AED 160 for metre testing. 

VOLUNTARY DISCONNECTION REQUEST CHARGES

Temporary disconnection is charged AED 150, if the account holder requests for it. This request is only processed if there are no outstanding bills. The outstanding charges are to be settled first before the request is fulfilled. Besides, metre maintenance fee and demand charges are to be paid even after the unit disconnects district cooling service. 

For annual or monthly consumption and demand charges, use the Empower charges calculator. 

It is worthwhile to note each charge/service above is subjected for a VAT of 5%

HOW TO PAY EMPOWER DUBAI BIILL

Empower Dubai bill payment process is quite feasible, you can pay the bill via cash, credit card, cheque, bank transfer, mobile banking and online bank transfer. Also, mention the 10-digit Empower account number at the time of payment. 

Below discussed are Empower Dubai bill payment options: 

EMPOWER DUBAI CUSTOMER SERVICE COUNTERS

For Empower Dubai bill payment via cheque, customers can head to the customer service counters. These counters are accessible at different Empower office locations in Dubai. Here are the locations of Empower Dubai branches, where you can pay the incurred bill: 

Empower Dubai Business Bay

Address: Shop No. 12 & 13, Mezzanine Level, Executive Towers Tower F, Bay Avenue, Business Bay

Contact Number: +971-4-559-2888

Empower Dubai JLT-Jumeirah Lake Towers

Address: Shop No. 3, 1st Floor, Al Mas Tower, Jumeirah Lake Towers

Contact Number: +971-4-375-5555

Empower Dubai Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR)

Address: Plaza Level (P09), Murjan 1, JBR

Contact Number: +971-4-559-2888

Furthermore, Empower Dubai head office also accepts utility bill payment via cheque, credit card and cash. You can reach out to the head office at the following location:

Address: Al Hudaiba Awards Building, Block A, 8th Floor, Jumeirah Beach Road – Dubai

Timings: 07:30 am – 03:30 pm, Fri-Sat: closed

Empower Dubai Contact Number: +971-4-375-5555

Timings of all the offices: Monday to Thursday, 7:30 am to 3:30 pm | Friday, 7:30 am to 12:00 pm

BANKS

Empower Dubai bill payment is also possible via bank transfers. For bank transfers, Empower account holders should mention their 10-digit account number, including the customer account number and invoice number in the transfer description. Along with allocation details, email the remittance advice and deposit slip to credit control & collectionteam@empower.ae. 

You can deposit the payable amount in branches of following banks: 

• Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank – Al Itthihad branch
• HSBC Bank Middle East Limited –  Bur Dubai
• Mashreq Bank – DIC 
• Emirates NBD – Jebel Ali Free Zone

EMPOWER WEBSITE (E-SERVICES)

The property owners and tenants can also pay the bill via the e-services portal on the Empower official website via credit card. 

Also, they can use net banking via the Central Bank of the UAE Payment Gateway System (UAEPGS). 

ONLINE BANKING 

The process of Empower Dubai online payment is another convenient way to pay the district cooling service utility bill. Customers can use Emirates NBD Online Banking and ADCB Corporate Internet Banking Portal (ProCash) to pay the Empower Dubai bill. 

Besides, you can also use Emirates NBD Bank ATM to do the needful. 

MOBILE BANKING

Coming to Empower Dubai bill payment online via mobile banking, you can use mPay on the DubaiNow app. But to use this platform you will have to register on the DubaiNow app (Android | iOS) and activate the service. 

Bill can also be paid using Emirates NBD and ADCB mobile banking. 

Besides, you can pay via cash at any of the Al Ansari Exchange branches across the UAE or use the Emirates NBD bank cash deposit machines. Select utility bill payment option when using the cash deposit machine. 

EMPOWER DUBAI DISCONNECTION PROCESS 

E-FINAL BILL PROCEDURE

The tenant or property owner who want to discontinue Empower Dubai district cooling services need to follow the below steps to get the E-final bill: 

1. Log on the official Empower Dubai website 
2. On the E-Service tab, select E-Final Bill from the drop down menu 
3. Enter the username and password
4. Go to My Service tab and select “Settlement Request”
5. Pay the outstanding bill, if any 
6. Upload the required documents (listed below for reference) 
7. Agree to the Terms and Conditions and Click Submit 

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS 

The owner of the property should upload the following documents: 

• Copy of New Title Deed
• Copy of ID Proof – Emirates ID/ Passport (for Individual)
• Copy of Trade Licence or Certificate of Incorporation (in case of company)

Tenant of a property should submit the following: 

• Copy of Ejari or Tenancy Contract
• Copy of ID Proof – Emirates ID/ Passport (for Individual)
• Copy of Trade Licence or Certificate of Incorporation (in case of company)
• NOC letter from the registered owner

NOC letter is required when the tenancy contract is terminated earlier or has expired post 15 days.  

You will receive a notification along with your Reference Request Number via email and SMS. This will help you keep track of the request status. This can be checked on the Empower Dubai e-services portal on the My Services tab by selecting Pending Requests. 

Besides, a clearance certificate should be requested when applying for final bill settlement. It can be done online from the e-services portal. Select ‘My Services’ and then click ‘Clearance Certificate.’ 

Select your account and pay outstanding bills (if any). The clearance certificate is issued to property owner or tenant, requesting for it and only after clearing all the outstanding bills (if any). The clearance certificate remains valid for 30 days. 

You can check the status of your clearance certificate request on the e-services portal on the ‘My Services’ tab under the ‘Pending requests.’

WHERE TO PAY EMPOWER DUBAI FINAL BILL? 

Final bill is available online within two working days, once you have filed the request. You can pay by credit card or cash. The payment can be made at the Empower Dubai head office.

HOW TO GET EMPOWER SECURITY DEPOSIT REFUND

You can collect cash refunds from the Empower Dubai head office. Only registered customers with original passport or Emirates ID and deposit receipt can claim a cash refund. Please note that the amount should be of equal or less than AED 5000.

If the amount is more than AED 5000 then the security deposit refund is made by cheque. Also, if the customer does not have an original security deposit receipt or is a company, a security deposit refund is made by cheque. 

 It is worthwhile to note that walk-in customers are not allowed, you need to schedule an appointment to collect your security deposit refund. 

BENEFITS OF DISTRICT COOLING SYSTEM 

Whether you are living in a rental apartment in Dubai or villa, you can register for district cooling services via Empower Dubai. If you go through chiller free vs district cooling in Dubai, you will get an idea of the district cooling system pros. For instance:

• Emits less carbon dioxide
• 40% less consumption of electricity
• Environment friendly as it consumes less energy

PROSPECTS OF DISTRICT COOLING SYSTEM IN DUBAI

District cooling systems may prove essential in dense areas of the region, in terms of comfort, cost and operational efficiency. 

Since Dubai’s focus is to emerge and urbanise at a fast pace, capitalising and investing in this cooling system may eliminate the need of installing power stations. Also, the government should implement utilities-style regulations, so that district cooling could cater all the cooling needs and structural problems. 

The government actively contributes to district cooling provision and integrates it in the region’s urban planning, this cooling mechanism might prove significant to Dubai’s development. 

EMPOWER OFFICE LOCATIONS IN DUBAI

You can head to the Empower Dubai customer service centre for further details. These customer service centres are located in Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Business Bay and JBR. Address and timings of each service centre is mentioned above.

Here the complete guide on Empower Dubai comes to an end. If you are buying an apartment in Dubai or a villa and want to avail district cooling services, follow the process discussed above. 

Besides, if you are looking for more affordable options to regulate hot and humid temperature then you can browse from a wide range of used air conditioners for sale in Dubai. 

Stay tuned to the popular property blog of the UAE for information on property buying and selling, rental contracts and laws across all the Emirates.