Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | DEWA raises the Hamdan bin Mohammed Program for Government Services Flag at its Head Office

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and HE Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Dubai, raised the Hamdan bin Mohammed Program for Government Services Flag at DEWA's Head Office. DEWA's Executive Vice Presidents were also in attendance during the ceremony.

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, recently presented the Flag to DEWA for winning the Best Government Initiative award for its 'Smart Living' initiative. This took place at the Hamdan Hub 2020 event organised by Dubai Model Centre, a subsidiary of the General Secretariat of the Executive Council of Dubai.

Al Tayer emphasised that winning the Hamdan bin Mohammed Program for Government Services Flag crowns DEWA's innovation efforts and its commitment to improving its services according to the highest standards of efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability. This achieves customer happiness and exceeds their expectations, aligning with the wise leadership's vision and directives to continue developing government work. Al Tayer commended Dubai Model Centre's efforts to improve government performance, and enhance the readiness of government organisations to identify priorities and continue improving their services according to the highest international standards.

Al Tayer noted that the Smart Living initiative supports the UAE's efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, especially Goal 7: 'Affordable and Clean Energy' and Goal 12: 'Responsible Consumption and Production.' It also aligns with the Dubai Demand Side Management Strategy 2030, which aims to reduce 30% of energy and water consumption by 2030. Over five years, the initiative will save 179.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 67.7 million gallons of water. This is equivalent to saving AED 52.6 for customers and reducing 15,643 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

HE Abdullah Al-Basti, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Dubai, affirmed that the Flag of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Program for Government Services places responsibility on the winning governmental entity to ensure continuity of service excellence and provide pioneering initiatives that guarantee customer happiness, stemming from the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai. Al-Basti mentioned that DEWA was worthy of winning the Flag after passing a rigorous evaluation process by a jury of international experts and praised the efforts of the dedicated teams and the goals of the initiative that are driving the UAE's sustainable development agenda.

Al-Basti stressed that excellence in customer service is the cornerstone for enhancing the efficiency of government services and keeping pace with the directions of the wise leadership, as well as the accelerated development of Dubai. He urged government entities in Dubai to adopt innovation as the foundation to enhance government performance; ensure customer happiness; and reinforce the Emirate's position as a world leader in innovative government services.

DEWA's Smart Living initiative was selected as the best government initiative based on customers' votes and evaluations by key committees. Among 50 initiatives submitted by 28 government entities, eight were shortlisted to compete for the coveted Flag. Customers and stakeholders were involved in redesigning the service and its provision mechanism in 18 workshops, as part of DEWA's annual Services Hackathon. 

The Smart Living initiative uses a proactive mechanism to interact with customers who have smart electricity and water meters. It enables them to monitor their consumption and get daily, monthly, and annual reports. The initiative also enables customers, through the 'My Sustainable Living Programme,' to compare their consumption with that of similar homes, and to benefit from the offers provided by DEWA Store in collaboration with the private sector. Via its 'Away Mode', the initiative sends consumption details to customers' emails on a daily or weekly basis when they activate the feature while away from their homes. The 'High Water Usage' Alert, which is part of the Smart Response initiative, helps customers locate any possible internal water leakage. The initiative also includes the Auto-Scheduling feature to make an appointment for a technical team visit with real-time updates. DEWA has also added a 'Call Back' feature for customers to book timings for DEWA's call back through smart channels.