DEWA and Chiller Charges in Dubai Explained

Chiller charges are what you pay for air conditioning in a Dubai building cooled by a district cooling plant. They are billed by the cooling provider, such as Empower or Emicool, not by DEWA, and they come with their own refundable chiller deposit, a fixed monthly capacity charge and a consumption charge for the cooling your meter records.

DEWA covers electricity and water; the chiller account covers the cooling. Together they are the running costs tenants most often underestimate. This guide explains what chiller is, how much the chiller deposit is, how a chiller bill is calculated, the DEWA deposit and fees, and what to ask before you sign. All provider figures are taken from the providers' own websites and DEWA's site as of November 2026.

What is chiller in Dubai?

In a building with district cooling there is no air conditioning unit on the roof or the balcony. Emicool describes the service as chilled water for air conditioning, delivered to premises inside the provider's network. The water is made at a central plant and piped into the building, and a meter for your unit measures how much cooling you use. The two best known providers in Dubai are Empower and Emicool. Some buildings run their own plant and bill through the owners association or a billing company instead.

That is why the chiller fee does not appear on your DEWA bill. It is a separate account, with a separate provider, deposit and due date.

DEWA and chiller compared

	DEWA	Chiller (district cooling)
Covers	Water and electricity	Air conditioning
Billed by	Dubai Electricity and Water Authority	Empower, Emicool or the building's own provider
Deposit	AED 2,000 apartment, AED 4,000 villa, refundable	Set by the provider: Emicool uses 8 months of the capacity charge; Empower shows its figure during registration
One-off fees	AED 130 supply activation fee	Connection charge; Emicool also charges an AED 200 activation fee
Monthly bill	Based on your electricity and water use	Fixed capacity (demand) charge plus metered consumption, metering fee and fuel surcharge
Who pays	The occupier	The registered owner or tenant, unless the contract says the landlord pays

How much is the chiller deposit in Dubai?

The chiller deposit is a refundable amount you pay when you open the cooling account, and it comes back when you close the account and settle the final bill. There is no single figure, because each provider sets its own:

• Emicool: its FAQ says the security deposit is a refundable amount equal to eight months of the contracted capacity charge for the unit. So the deposit rises with the size of the cooling connection.
• Empower: its registration page lists a security deposit and a connection fee as the charges due at registration, and says they vary by project and building location. The exact amount is shown online during the registration process, after you enter the 9 digit DEWA premises number.

Budget for the chiller deposit on top of the DEWA deposit, your Ejari fee and the security deposit you pay the landlord. If you move between two Empower units under the same name, Empower lets you carry the remaining balance of the old account to the new one and pay only the difference.

What are chiller charges and how is a chiller bill calculated?

A chiller bill usually has a fixed part and a variable part. Both providers measure cooling in refrigeration tons (RT, or TR at Emicool). Here is how Empower sets out its charges as of November 2026:

Charge	How Empower bills it
Demand charge (capacity)	AED 750 per RT per year, billed monthly in advance by days in the month
Consumption charge	AED 0.568 per RT hour recorded by your meter, billed in arrears
Fuel surcharge	Passed on as notified by DEWA
Meter maintenance	AED 50 a quarter or AED 30 a month, depending on location
Disconnection fee (non-payment)	AED 500
Voluntary disconnection	AED 150 per request
Meter test, if the meter is fine	AED 160

Each of these carries 5% VAT. Empower's own example: a unit with 6 RT of cooling pays a demand charge of 6 times AED 750, which is AED 4,500 a year, or AED 387.50 for a 31 day month. That fixed charge is due before you switch the air conditioning on.

Capacity charge vs consumption charge

The capacity charge (Empower calls it the demand charge, Emicool the contracted capacity charge) pays for the cooling connection your unit is entitled to. Emicool says the contracted capacity is approved by the building owner's consultant and authorised by Dubai Municipality, and that the annual charge is split into 12 monthly payments that are due regardless of connection or consumption. The consumption charge follows your meter, so it is the part that rises in summer and falls in winter.

Chiller fees at Emicool

Emicool's FAQ lists a refundable security deposit of eight months' capacity charge, a one-time activation fee of AED 200, a one-time connection charge on first connection, the capacity charge, a consumption charge per RT hour, a DEWA fuel surcharge and a fixed monthly metering charge per meter. Invoices are issued on the 1st of each month and are due within 15 days, and a late payment fee of AED 100 applies after that.

Is chiller included in the rent?

Ask "Is chiller included in the rent?" before you sign. In some buildings it is ("chiller free"); in many it is not, and a separate account is opened in your name. With a fixed capacity charge of a few hundred dirhams a month before any cooling is used, the difference over a year can change which property is actually cheaper.

Ask for the previous occupier's typical summer bill rather than an estimate, and ask how many RT the unit is contracted for. With the RT figure you can work out the fixed part of the bill yourself.

Why chiller bills surprise people

• Consumption is seasonal. The metered part follows how hard the air conditioning works, so the summer months cost far more than winter.
• There is a fixed capacity charge payable even when the property is empty. Empower says its demand charge and meter maintenance fee continue even when a unit is disconnected at the customer's request.
• Older buildings are less efficient, so the same lifestyle can cost more.
• The fuel surcharge moves. Providers pass on the surcharge DEWA notifies, so the same consumption can cost a little more or less from month to month.

If a property will be empty for months, the capacity charge continues. Owners of holiday homes and investors between tenants should budget for it.

DEWA deposit and fees for tenants

DEWA's Ejari FAQ sets out the move-in costs. As of November 2026:

• A refundable security deposit for electricity and water of AED 2,000 for an apartment or AED 4,000 for a villa.
• A supply activation fee of AED 130, paid to DEWA through any of its payment channels.

Since July 2017, DEWA has required an Ejari for its move-in service. When your Ejari is issued, a DEWA account is created automatically and you receive an SMS and a welcome email with a link to pay the deposit. If the email does not arrive, you can pay through the DEWA website or app by entering your Ejari number or premises number. The DLD FAQ adds that the tenant pays a municipality fee of 5% of the annual rent, which appears separately on the electricity bill.

Setting up and closing accounts

DEWA works from your Ejari, so the certificate comes first. Our guide to Ejari and tenancy contracts shows how to get it. For the chiller account:

• Empower: register on its e-Services portal, choose the premises by its 9 digit DEWA premises number, view the charges, and upload the tenancy contract or Ejari, your Emirates ID and your visa page. Empower says the request takes 1 to 3 working days, and it will not complete a registration while another account in your name has an unpaid balance.
• Emicool: register through its customer portal with your Ejari, passport, Emirates ID, mobile number, email and IBAN. Emicool says the process takes two business days once the fees are settled.

When you move out, close both accounts and keep the final bills: the landlord will ask for them before releasing your deposit. See getting your deposit back.

What happens if you do not pay the chiller bill?

The provider can disconnect the cooling. Empower charges a disconnection fee of AED 500 for non-payment and reconnects only after the full outstanding amount is paid and the account holder asks for reconnection. An unpaid chiller account can also block a new registration under your name. If your landlord pays chiller as part of the rent, get that written into the contract.

Keeping the bills down

• Service the air conditioning. A clogged filter makes the system work harder.
• Set the thermostat a few degrees higher rather than as low as it goes. The room does not cool any faster at the lowest setting.
• Keep blinds closed on sun-facing windows during the day.
• Check your meter readings online each month, so a jump shows early.

Related reading

Service charges are separate again and payable by the owner. Our tenant guide covers the full cost of renting, and who pays for what in a rental explains repairs to the cooling system itself.