Electricity prices in the UAE

This is the slab rate that the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) charges residential customers for each of the first 2,000 kWh in a month, which covers a household using, say, 1,500 kWh a month as assumed here. It leaves out DEWA's monthly fuel surcharge (6 fils per kWh in November 2026), the meter service charge and 5% VAT, so a real bill works out higher per kWh. It applies in Dubai only: the other emirates have their own utilities and tariffs, and UAE nationals' homes in Dubai pay lower rates.

Checked against DEWA on November 13, 2026.

DEWA charges residential use slab by slab, so each band of monthly units pays its own rate and the price rises progressively as use grows. On top of the slab charges come a fuel surcharge that DEWA sets every month (6 fils per kWh in November 2026), a meter service charge of AED 5, 6 or 35 depending on the meter type, and 5% VAT. Under the 2011 Executive Council resolution that set these rates, homes of UAE nationals pay 7.5 to 12.5 fils per kWh and no fuel surcharge.

Each emirate has its own utility and tariffs: the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority serves Dubai, while Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates have separate providers. Power comes mainly from gas-fired plants, many of which also produce desalinated water, joined by a fast-growing fleet of large solar parks and, in Abu Dhabi, the Barakah nuclear plant, which supplies a substantial share of national demand.

In Dubai, household rates rise in slabs with monthly use, and bills add a fuel surcharge that follows fuel costs, a meter charge and value added tax, while homes of UAE nationals pay lower rates. Demand peaks in the hot summer months, when air conditioning dominates consumption, and many buildings also pay separately for district cooling. Supply is very reliable and outages are rare.