A/C and water charges in JVT | ExpatWoman.com
 

A/C and water charges in JVT

93
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 July 2011 - 20:16

Ive just moved to a 2 bedroom villa in JVT. Ive only be there a month and Ive got my DEWA bill in, 5575.80! WTF! Ive got grass in the garden with irrigation, but Im a single person living on my own and Im not in the house during the day. I have one a/c on 24/7 which is downstairs for the dogs and in the evening I put my bedroom a/c on all night.

Is this normal for the JVT 2 bed villa's? Ive called DEWA and Ive put a complaint in. Thanks in advance.

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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 19:43
Ange how awful for you!!! I just posted something slightly similar and a poster suggested that someone could be tapping into our DEWA. Just have a look at my posts (it is one I posted today so easy to find) for her reply. Keep us posted.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 August 2011 - 21:13
Update - 4 Complaints raised by me, 2 by the landlord and DEWA still believes everything is ok. Ive checked my consumption daily and my water consumption is 23,497 and electric consumption is 4000, which equates to 2500dhs (DEWA on line calculators up and until the 18th of August at 9am. Ive removed 50% of the grass and irrigation and Ive put down the smalls stones. July's bill is 5014dhs, June's bill was 5575dhs. So, today, I recluctantly handed in my notice with a 2 months penality. I will be moving in the next month :-( I just cant justify DEWA being nearly the same amount as my rent when I live in this property on my own. So ladies, grab yourself a bargain. Ive got a full house of blinds that are only 2 months old that I need to sell, along with Palm Tree's, plants, grass, gravel, irrigation, garden storage, garden table and other things which are only 2 months old.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 August 2011 - 17:19
The gas men has put in 2 new hoses and tighten this 3rd bottle with a spanner lol. So, inshallah, maybe it will work this time and I wont run of gas after cooking one meal lol.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 August 2011 - 17:13
Our gas bottle was leaking and is now off. I wonder if they do not get screwed on tight enough, so that it leaks and you consume more!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 August 2011 - 17:11
Twokids - I dont have a leak, it might be a faulty meter? Yes, Im keeping a track of my readings. Im out there 5pm every day taking the reading. In fact I should be there now :-)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 August 2011 - 17:10
Thanks to everyone who replied. My lease is up in 10 months time, but if my bill comes in at the beginning of Sept, I do believe I will have to move. My landlord is useless. It wasnt until I was swearing and screaming on the phone that he actually went to DEWA. Ive asked him to replace the electric meter as well, which he said he will do, but Im still waiting. To add to the problems, the family size gas bottle, I used one of them up per month and I dont cook at home. Again Ive told the landlord and he hasnt done anything about it. Luther gas wont touch it as the gas bottle doesnt belong to them. I tell you what, this whole house is a nightmare. Maybe I should move to another house in JVT just to get away from this one? They replaced the water meter on the 31st of July (of course noboday informed me) and the landlord, who was at DEWA, told me Im consuming only 30% of my daily units compared to July. But my electric bill alone is 2600dhs! Ive got the gardener pulling up over half of the grass and half of the irrigation as I type to try and save more money. Sniffy - Thanks for the information I will see what August bills brings and if its still high, I will need to pack my bags. Thanks for the email as well.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 August 2011 - 15:40
why dont you ask the Landlord to reimburse you half or more of the DEWA bill until it is fixed. I think i have previously said my bills at the moment in JVT is about AED 1800. I dont know what to suggest to you with 4 dogs the villas in JVT are perfect because the gardens are so big...i hope you manage to sort it. A few of my friends live there and their bills are the same as mine x edited by Bracey777 on 11/08/2011 I agree with the above. Surely there is something wrong, particularly with the water bill?! Did they find a leak? Are you keeping a record of the meter readings. When does your lease expire? I so hope that this gets sorted out as I really feel for you:(
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 August 2011 - 14:32
why dont you ask the Landlord to reimburse you half or more of the DEWA bill until it is fixed. I think i have previously said my bills at the moment in JVT is about AED 1800. I dont know what to suggest to you with 4 dogs the villas in JVT are perfect because the gardens are so big...i hope you manage to sort it. A few of my friends live there and their bills are the same as mine x <em>edited by Bracey777 on 11/08/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 August 2011 - 14:29
ange74, Thank you so much for your post this saved us from moving there, honestly i never wanted to move to JVT but DH was would want to mmove only there, i finally showed him your post and he changed his mind right away!! oh i cant be happier!! Happy Mirdif times for me!! :) Hope you will sort it all out very soon!! ;)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 August 2011 - 14:19
Sorry to hear read about what you are going through Ange74. if u do decide to move, i live in a lovely compound, is is old, great location though, on s z road, seen a villa vacant few days ago, 3 bedrooms, will email u, i have your contact. Reasonable rent. will give u number of compound management on email too.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 August 2011 - 06:36
Bump for advice and for anyone in the JVT area, what is the size of your DEWA bills.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 August 2011 - 20:05
Thought Id give everyone an update on my DEWA bill. 2nd DEWA bill, 5075.18 OMG, I just wanna cry. I lodged another complaint with DEWA, asked a friend to send their PRO (Emirati) to see if they could do anything, nothing can be done, seemingly my usuage is High, wtf of course it is, but its unrealistically high. Im like scrouge when it comes to ac and water. There is only me in the house, 1 or 2 showers a day. Everything is turned off when Im at work except one ac which is on low downstairs for the dog. Went to the landlord yesterday with my ex husband to tell him that Im leaving the property and giving him 2 months notice. Landlord asks me to give him a chance, so I did. No electrician turned up this morning as planned and no phone call to tell me he wasnt coming. I totally lost it with the landlord on the phone and was very unpleasant. Eventually a project manager came how, touched a few switches and said that my usuage was fine. Landlord spends all day in DEWA (this is what he told me) and DEWA told him that they replaced my water meter on the 31st of July, but they didnt tell me, knock on the door or leave a card. My dilema is, do I cut my loses and go? I will need to pay the landlord 2 months rent to break the contract which is 15,000dhs, lose the 7000dhs in blinds, 15,000dhs on the garden (I know Im stupid) and then I will incur 4500dhs for an agent to find me another house, rent in advance 25,000, deposit of 5000dhs. So just to move I will incur 50,000dhs which I do not have. But I can not afford 5000dhs+ per month. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I cant move to an apartment as I have 4 dogs. <em>edited by ange74 on 09/08/2011</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 July 2011 - 21:27
If your system is automated, do you need a gardener? I don't have any grass so no need to cut it but I purposely switch the water on myself so I know how much I'm using. Also my philosophy is to use enough water to keep things alive only. It sounds like you've got it under control now - phew!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 July 2011 - 08:40
Update ladies - Maintenace came out and the thermostat in the bedroom ac isnt working. Hence its blowing all the time. He checked the section 3 switches, which I had already turned off as per your advice. He said that these switches are the chillerss and they operate 24/7 even if the ac is off. He reckons the high electric bill is due to the chiller being on the theromstat being wrong. I asked maintenance to switch off as many switches in the box. Whilst he was doing this, he was explaining what each switch was for. Now Ive not touched the big red round knobs in the maids room, but guess what Im gonna do that now and turn them off. With regards to the water, Ive got a new gardener. The new one is checking the entire irrigation system in the garden this week to check for any leakages. Also, whilst off work on Thursday it seems the irrigation is coming on 3 times a day (the last gardener was a waste of time). The new gardener is changing the timing. Ive also hidden my garden hose so that the new gardener doesnt get carried away with watering everything again, despite the irrigation being in. My maid told me yesterday that my old gardener used to do this. Im only washing my clothes once a week, rather than a little in everyday. My chest freezer has been defrosted and turned off. As the maid is away this month, Ive turned off her fridge and everything in the maids room. So, I will have to sit tight and see what August's bill brings :/ Now I need to go and pay the 6000dhs water bill for this month :(
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 July 2011 - 21:36
Two Kids, I think it's best to put the AC on auto so that once it hits the required temperature, the fan will switch to low/off therefore saving money. Ange 74, there's a good chance that there is a problem with your AC temperature control. In 6 months I've had maintenance out about 12 times to fix various AC problems - so surely yours can't be perfect? The switch in the maids room is a massive box with 2 red round knobs on and it's inside the house on the wall. I'd love to know what it's for but it's been off for 6 months and we haven't blown up (I had a friend staying in their for a couple of months also and no problems). It says: SSCU Control Panel (yellow sticker) DANGER ELECTRIC SHOCK Incomer I see you've tried switching the electricity off and looking at the metre but have you tried that with the water? It sounds like the irrigation system is dodgy as well as the electricity (poor you) and that's the only way to find out. The irrigation system is the LL responsibility if he put it in and yours if you put it in but definitely not DEWAs so they won't help you. Keep in touch, I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of it soon.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 28 July 2011 - 13:47
I don't know what 'auto' means for your AC, but I do not have mine on auto, just on cooling, medium fan and 23 degrees. I hope your LL will help you to check for the leak!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 July 2011 - 08:37
Can you find the tap for the plants irrigation and make sure it's switched off? Depending on the stretch of plants, you may have one or two taps for the plants irrigation and they will be low down near the ground.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 July 2011 - 08:34
Hi Ange74 I have a big garden too which does get watered everyday for a long time especially the grass. We have turned off section 3 upstairs and a section downstairs which controls the fans ie bathroom, cooker fan. I keep the AC off during the day whilst i am at work execpt in the maids room where the dog is. My ac is on all night in my bedroom whilst we are asleep and i keep it on downstairs in both the kitchen and lounge when we are at home but turn it off before we go to bed. I also keep mine on auto. Perhaps this first bill is incorrect and a one off and hopefully the rest will be much lower. I wass talking to my fiance last night and he reminded me when we moved in our first bill was 2000 and that was in November time since then they have gone down. Let me know if i can be of anymore help.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 July 2011 - 07:11
Ive turned off all the electic that I dont use off, TV, Kettle, Microwave. Blinds are all down to keep out the heat and Ive checked the irrigation and it seems that some of it has water dripping out of it. Is this normal? Does anyone have irrigation for their grass and plants? The grass one isnt dripping, its the plant ones, not all of them but a few of them. Thanks
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 July 2011 - 06:42
Hi Bracey - I turned off section 3 upstairs 2 days ago when one of the ladies posted the advice. I didnt turn off section 3 downstairs, but Ive done 2 of the switches now as I have a maid and the 3rd switch said maids socket garage. Please let me know if I need to switch this off as well? The maid is going away for her annual vacation on Saturday, so I can easily switch her sockets off. Ive also turned off switches that says spare and switches for the door bell, fence lights etc. Ive put my a/c to 24c downstairs and moved it to auto, but it seems as if its on all the time rather than automatic and the light is saying high instead of low? Any advice on this? I tired sleeping with the a/c off last night, and I lasted about an hour. I put the a/c on to 24c, but it remained on all night at a high speed instead of low. Normally I sleep with it low and on all night instead of automatic. Im the first person to move into the property as the landlord didnt get the keys until about 6 months ago. Ive spoke to the landlord and he has slippery shoulders. However, I lost it with him yesterday and he is sending maintenance out to look at the a/c. Ive raised a complaint to DEWA about the water and Im waiting for them to come out. Ive also raised another complaint about the Electric as Im not happy with their explanation which is Im consuming a lot rather working out if my consumption is correct. With regards to the water, if the gardener put in the irrigation should he check for any leakage in this area? Or will DEWA do this. Sorry for all the questions, but my ex husband used to look after things like this and Ive got complacient. Thank you to everyone who is answering my questions.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 July 2011 - 15:20
did you turn off section three upstairs and downstairs? We have turned both of them off and i know it made a big difference. Did you read the meter before you moved in so you can compare if the previous tenants owe anything.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 July 2011 - 15:18
Hi Ladies - Does anyone know what I can do? Ive registered another complaint with them and if Im honest, I cant afford to live there. Its making me worried as this month I will have to use my credit card to buy food.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 July 2011 - 13:22
Hi my bill has increased dramatically this month from 700 last month to 1700 most of it is all electricity. We both work full time and we are never at home so i am shocked it is this much. I dont leave the AC on whilst i am there and it is only on in the bedroom over night i just dont get how my bill is so high. If i got a 5000 bill i would definitely move....i am convinced they make up the prices.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 July 2011 - 13:09
Ouch! It looks like you definitely have a water leak! Our bill was 1300 last month, with 200 being for water. We have a grassed backyard, which is watered for up to 20 mins per day (I keep telling the gardener not to, but I don't think he understands). There could be problem with the water pump, if the meter spins when all electrical items are off -just a random guess... I have 1-2 air cons on downstairs when I am home, which is often (set at 23) and 2 air cons on upstairs overnight. Can you switch off the downstairs air con at night (our dog lies in our room regardless of where his bed is!). If I had a bill your size I would be packing my bags!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 July 2011 - 12:49
Hi Two kids - Sorry for the late reply but the website is down. My water bill is 2662.75 and the electric is 2261.76. Today I went outside, no a/c on and the wheel was ready to spin out of the meter! I leave the a/c on in the kitchen one night and the next night I leave it on in the living room. I have my a/c on in the bedroom all night whilst Im sleeping and the maid has an allergy to the a/c, so she has it off in her bedroom. Also, during the day, she turns the a/c off and then only puts it back on when the dogs pant. Can I ask how much your bills are please? Im not married, dont have kids and there is no one else that uses. DEWA - The electical dept have just been to the house and they said that the meter is working fine, there isnt any faults with the meter. He suggested that I adjust the temperture of the a/c to 23-24c as it will use less energy. He also said that DEWA have increased the cost of electric and that coupled with high consumption is why my bills are high. But I dont believe that. 3 months ago I lived in a 5 bedroom house in Al Warqaa and my summer bills were never over 2200dhs. Can anyone else offer me any advice please?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 July 2011 - 13:26
Ange74 - do you know the breakdown of the bill ie. Electricity and water? We have a grassed backyard which is watered every day yet electricity accounts for most of the bill. If the water is high, yes there could be a leak. Were you leaving the downstairs ac on overnight?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2011 - 10:11
I must admit that I have become a little bit obsessed by my metre readings :0) I never turned the ghost system off upstairs as I never got round to working out what it was. However, before I moved in, I turned the huge electrical looking switch off on the wall in the maids room. It's never been on since and still have no idea what's it's for (but house not fallen down yet). Also I have turned the toilet/shower fan off (apparently there's only one switch for all the bathroom vent fans the whole house in the fuse box under B8) Does anyone know what the box in the maids room is for?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2011 - 06:41
K - Im gonna do what you suggested. My landlord has his last bill, so I will ask him for a copy. Im off out to the meter to take the reading.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2011 - 06:40
Thanks ladies. Ive turned off the ghost system, section 3 of the upstairs electric box as per the feedback on the link. I even turned off the a/c downstairs last night and I dreamt about my electric bill lol! I must be losing the plot! Fingers crossed that the next bill wont be as high, Inshallah!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 July 2011 - 22:43
Hope this helps http://www.expatwoman.com/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=124948 <em>edited by vixster on 24/07/2011</em>
 
 

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