DEWA Summer Travel Checklist 2026: Before Leaving Home

Before travelling from Dubai in summer, inspect internal water connections, arrange necessary maintenance, secure doors and windows, unplug non-essential appliances and set up DEWA consumption monitoring. Do not turn every system off without considering humidity, cooling, refrigeration, pets, plants, building rules and the length of the trip.

What DEWA advised in summer 2026

On 7 July 2026, DEWA encouraged residential customers to take pre-travel measures that reduce electricity and water waste and help identify problems early. The guidance highlighted remote consumption monitoring, Away Mode, internal connection checks, maintenance by specialised technicians, AC filter care and immediate attention to leaks.

These are practical recommendations, not a replacement for property-specific instructions from building management or equipment manufacturers.

Away Mode: monitoring during the trip

DEWA Away Mode provides daily or weekly electricity and water reports and graphs by email. It helps a customer notice unusual consumption while outside the UAE. It does not physically switch the property's water or power off.

Activate the feature in advance and confirm that the email address and account are correct. Use a normal week as a reference so that a new pattern is easier to recognise.

Checklist 24 to 48 hours before departure

Water

Inspect taps, toilets, flexible hoses and visible connections.
Check the water heater and accessible area around the tank.
Look for damp cabinets, floor stains and irrigation leaks.
Follow DEWA advice about the main water supply where practical for the property.
Tell the authorised property contact where the internal isolation valve is located.

Use the water heater diagnostic checklist when hot-water equipment already shows a symptom.

Electricity

Unplug non-essential devices instead of leaving them on standby.
Do not disconnect refrigerators, security, network or life-safety systems without a plan.
Remove unsafe extension arrangements and damaged chargers.
Check for warm plugs, burning smells or repeated breaker trips.
Confirm who can access the property if an alert occurs.

Air conditioning

Clean or replace accessible filters according to the equipment instructions, keep doors and windows closed and choose a stable setting suitable for the property. Avoid an extreme thermostat change without considering humidity and the building's guidance.

Use the Dubai summer AC filter guide before travel.

High Water Usage Alert

DEWA's High Water Usage Alert uses smart-meter data to notify customers of unusual continuous consumption downstream of the meter. It can help identify a possible internal leak, but it does not locate the source or prove that a leak exists.

If an alert arrives, review irrigation schedules, filling activity and occupancy, then follow the hidden leak diagnostic case.

Information for the person checking the property

Give a trusted and authorised contact:

building or community-management details;
your preferred emergency contact;
the location of safe user-accessible isolation controls;
AC, irrigation and pool schedules;
instructions for pets and plants;
permission and access limits;
what to photograph before authorising work.

Do not leave keys or access codes in an unsecured message.

Responding to unusual consumption or an outage

Compare the timing with scheduled irrigation, cleaning, guests or maintenance. Ask the authorised contact to inspect only safe and accessible areas. Use DEWA Smart Response for relevant utility notifications and building management for common systems.

For an internal fault, obtain a clear diagnostic scope before repair. FixSmart can help customers find professionals in Dubai, but it does not replace DEWA, emergency services or property-management authority.

Frequently asked questions

Does Away Mode switch utilities off?

No. It provides consumption reports and graphs for remote monitoring.

Should the AC be switched off completely?

There is no universal answer. Consider humidity, property type, equipment, contents and building guidance.

What deserves extra attention in a villa?

Irrigation, private tanks, pools, pumps, external taps and multiple AC zones create more points to inspect.

Are these new mandatory rules for 2026?

The DEWA publication is an awareness and conservation recommendation. Contractual and building requirements remain separate.

Sources and currency

This checklist was reviewed on 6 August 2026 using DEWA's official summer travel guidance dated 7 July 2026 and its Smart Living information. Use DEWA's current official channels for feature availability and instructions.

FIXSMART service route

Use this guide as a decision point, then continue through the relevant FIXSMART route instead of leaving the article as a dead end:

Customer route: https://fixsmart.ae/results?q=home%20service%20dubai - compare available Dubai home-service professionals for this issue.
Cleaning route: https://fixsmart.ae/cleaning - request home, apartment or villa cleaning support when the problem involves cleaning, move-in or hygiene work.
Professional route: https://fixsmart.ae/find-job - apply as a service provider if you want verified FIXSMART job leads.

For urgent electrical hazards, active leaks, burning smells or unsafe access work, stop using the affected area and arrange a qualified inspection before attempting DIY repair.