Outside Dubai and Abu Dhabi, your electricity and water come from one of two utilities. In Sharjah it is the Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA). In Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and some inland areas of Sharjah, it is Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE), the company that replaced the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA).

Both charge residents the same electricity slabs: 23 fils per kWh for the first 2,000 kWh a month, rising to 38 fils above 6,000 kWh.

This guide covers how to open an account when you move in, what the tariff and surcharges add up to, how to pay or check a bill, and how to close the account and recover your deposit when you leave. It also flags what neither utility publishes, including the deposit amount for a rented home. If you are moving between emirates, our guide to what changes when you relocate within the UAE covers the rest of the paperwork.

Key Takeaways

  • SEWA serves the emirate of Sharjah. EtihadWE serves the northern emirates from offices in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Dibba and Dhaid.
  • Residential electricity costs 23, 28, 32 or 38 fils per kWh on both, depending on how much you use. Water costs 3.5, 4.0 or 4.6 fils per gallon.
  • Both add a fuel surcharge to electricity: 6 fils per kWh at SEWA and 5 fils per kWh at EtihadWE. SEWA also adds 0.5 fils per gallon to water.
  • Since 1 April 2025, Sharjah also charges expatriates a sewerage fee of 1.5 fils per gallon of water used, billed through SEWA. UAE citizens are exempt.
  • EtihadWE activation is free online, or AED 50 at a service center. It needs your Emirates ID or passport and a municipality-approved tenancy contract.
  • Neither utility publishes its residential security deposit. You will see the amount when you apply.

SEWA or EtihadWE: Which Utility Supplies Your Home?

If your home is in the emirate of Sharjah, your utility is almost always SEWA. If it is in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah or Fujairah, your utility is EtihadWE. The UAE has no single national utility: Dubai has DEWA, Abu Dhabi has its own distribution companies, and the remaining emirates split between these two.

EtihadWE describes itself as delivering electricity and water across the Northern Emirates, established in 2020 under Federal Decree-Law No. 31, building on the Federal Electricity and Water Authority.

Its customer happiness centers are in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Dibba and Dhaid. The Dhaid office matters because Dhaid sits inside the emirate of Sharjah, so a few inland Sharjah areas are billed by EtihadWE, not SEWA.

Your landlord or the previous tenant’s final bill will tell you which one applies.

Emirate Electricity and water provider Our guide
Dubai DEWA DEWA move-in, deposit and refund
Abu Dhabi ADDC and the other Abu Dhabi distribution companies ADDC account setup
Sharjah SEWA (EtihadWE in some inland areas such as Dhaid) This guide
Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah EtihadWE (formerly FEWA) This guide

Electricity and Water Tariffs Compared

The residential consumption slabs are identical at the two utilities. SEWA’s own energy calculator and EtihadWE’s published tariff page both use the same four electricity bands and three water bands. The difference is in the surcharges added on top.

Residential electricity (per month) SEWA (Sharjah) EtihadWE (northern emirates)
Up to 2,000 kWh 23 fils per kWh 23 fils per kWh
2,001 to 4,000 kWh 28 fils 28 fils
4,001 to 6,000 kWh 32 fils 32 fils
Above 6,000 kWh 38 fils 38 fils
Fuel surcharge on electricity 6.0 fils per kWh 5 fils per kWh
UAE citizens’ homes Calculator applies the same tariff to “Residential (Local/Expat)” Single slab of 7.5 fils per kWh, no surcharge
Residential water (per month) SEWA (Sharjah) EtihadWE (northern emirates)
Up to 6,000 gallons 3.5 fils per gallon 3.5 fils per gallon (AED 7.70 per cubic meter)
6,001 to 12,000 gallons 4.0 fils 4.0 fils (AED 8.80 per cubic meter)
Above 12,000 gallons 4.6 fils 4.6 fils (AED 10.12 per cubic meter)
Surcharge on water 0.5 fils per gallon None listed
Sewerage fee (expatriates) 1.5 fils per gallon since 1 April 2025 Not part of the EtihadWE tariff

EtihadWE now quotes water in AED per cubic meter and shows its old per-gallon rates alongside, which is why both units appear above. The bands are progressive, like income tax. Only the units above 2,000 kWh are charged at 28 fils, not your whole bill.

The Sharjah sewerage fee

Sharjah’s Executive Council amended its municipal fees decision in February 2025 to add a sewage management fee of 1.5 fils per gallon of water consumption, based on the SEWA bill, effective 1 April 2025, with all UAE citizens exempt. It is a municipality charge collected through your SEWA bill, so it appears there even though SEWA does not set it.

For an expatriate household using 6,000 gallons a month, the fee adds AED 90. That is more than the AED 30 surcharge on the same water.

What a typical bill comes to

Take an apartment in Sharjah using 1,500 kWh of electricity and 6,000 gallons of water in a month. Under SEWA’s published rates, electricity is AED 345 plus a AED 90 surcharge. Water is AED 210 plus a AED 30 surcharge, and the sewerage fee is a further AED 90.

That is AED 765 before VAT. SEWA’s calculator then adds VAT at 5%, which on the AED 675 of electricity, water and surcharges comes to AED 33.75. Whether VAT also applies to the municipality’s sewerage fee is not stated on SEWA’s calculator, so check the line items on your first bill.

The same usage in Ajman under EtihadWE’s tariff costs AED 345 for electricity plus a AED 75 surcharge, and AED 210 for water. That makes AED 630 before VAT, with no sewerage line from EtihadWE.

Summer air conditioning can easily push a villa past 4,000 kWh a month, at which point the 32 and 38 fil bands start to bite. Our guide to why summer utility bills triple explains where that consumption goes.

How to Open an Account When You Move In

On EtihadWE, a new tenant applies online through the Service Activation service after logging in with UAE PASS, uploads an Emirates ID or passport and a municipality-approved tenancy contract, and pays any deposit. Power and water are then switched on within 24 hours. The request is free online and AED 50 at a service center.

EtihadWE: Service Activation, step by step

EtihadWE’s Service Activation card applies when the previous occupant’s account has already been closed. That is the normal position for a rented flat. The steps are:

  1. Open the EtihadWE website or app, choose Login, then Customer, and sign in with UAE PASS.
  2. From the main menu, choose Apply Service, then Service Activation, then Start Service.
  3. Fill in the property and contact details.
  4. Upload your documents (listed below).
  5. Accept the terms and submit. Pay the deposit if one is requested.

The documents EtihadWE lists are:

  • Your Emirates ID or passport.
  • A tenancy contract approved by the municipality.
  • A commercial license, if the account is for a business.
  • The husband’s Emirates ID and family book, if the property is housing for a UAE national woman.

EtihadWE gives an expected time of one working day for the request. Its card says it will activate the utilities to the premises within 24 hours after payment of the deposit, if any.

If the previous account is still open, ask the landlord to have the outgoing tenant close it first. EtihadWE’s activation service only covers premises where the old account has been closed.

SEWA: what is and is not published

SEWA does not publish a public service card for a tenant move-in. Its customer services portal handles service requests, including move-out requests, and its e-services portal is where owners and real estate companies manage premises.

Sharjah tenancy contracts are attested by Sharjah Municipality, and our guide to renting in Sharjah explains that attestation is the landlord’s legal duty. Keep the attested contract and your Emirates ID ready for the SEWA application.

For SEWA account questions, the number listed on its website is 600 566 665, and the emergency line is 991. Its contact page lists a 24-hour line for inquiries, payments and reconnection.

The security deposit: what we could not confirm

Neither SEWA nor EtihadWE publishes the security deposit for a residential tenant. EtihadWE’s fee schedule lists connection and meter fees for new buildings, but not a tenant’s deposit.

Its activation card only says power goes on after payment of the deposit, “if any”. Figures quoted on property portals are not traceable to either utility, so we have left them out.

What EtihadWE does publish is how you get the deposit back, covered in the move-out section below. Keep the payment receipt for the deposit: it is the simplest proof if the refund amount is ever disputed.

How to Pay and Check Your Bill

Both utilities let you pay without logging in. Use EtihadWE’s “View and Pay Bill” with your account number, or SEWA’s one-time payment page. Both also accept payment in their apps and through banks and payment kiosks.

Channel SEWA EtihadWE
Pay without logging in One-time payment page on the customer portal View and Pay Bill, using your account number
Logged-in portal or app SEWA customer portal EtihadWE portal and app via UAE PASS, with saved cards
In person and third parties Payment locations listed on the portal Kiosks (24 hours), banks, Al Ansari Exchange, service centers
Card limits Not published AED 10,000 maximum per card payment, GCC-issued cards only, 5 card transactions a day
Paying several accounts Through the portal Multiple Accounts Payment service

Sources: EtihadWE’s Bill payment service card and SEWA’s one-time payment and payment locations pages. EtihadWE’s card limits catch people out: a card issued outside the GCC will be declined online. In that case, use a kiosk, a bank or an exchange house.

EtihadWE also lists a fee of 0.0068 on card payments above AED 10,000. It does not say whether that is a percentage or a fraction, so ask before paying a large commercial bill by card.

Paying overdue bills in installments

EtihadWE has a separate service for paying due amounts by installments, listed among its customer eServices. EtihadWE does not publish the eligibility rules or the number of installments on that page, so ask a service center before relying on it.

Going Away: EtihadWE Traveller Mode

EtihadWE offers a free Traveller Mode for residential accounts. While you are away it emails your daily or weekly consumption, so a leak or a fridge tripping shows up as a spike. You can use it up to twice a year per account, and extensions are capped at 30 days from activation.

Traveller Mode only monitors your usage. It does not pause billing or protect the account from disconnection for unpaid dues, and EtihadWE is not liable for leaks or damage inside the home.

Pay the bill before you travel, or set up the Direct Debit service listed on the same eServices page. SEWA does not publish an equivalent service.

Moving Out: Clearance Certificate and Deposit Refund

On EtihadWE, request a Clearance Certificate online, choose how to receive your security deposit (bank transfer, transfer to another EtihadWE account, or cash), pay the final bill, and the certificate is emailed to you. The service is free online. EtihadWE gives an expected time of three working days and disconnects the service once you apply.

The Clearance Certificate card sets out the sequence:

  1. Log in with UAE PASS, choose Apply Service, then Clearance Certificate.
  2. Select the account.
  3. Choose how to collect the security deposit: bank transfer (enter your IBAN), transfer to another EtihadWE account, or cash where available.
  4. Confirm with the SMS verification code and submit.
  5. Pay the final bill. The Clearance Certificate is then emailed to you.

Moving to another home in the northern emirates? The “transfer to another account” option moves your deposit across, so you avoid waiting for a refund and paying a new deposit. Keep the emailed certificate either way: it is your proof that the account was settled when you left.

If you have a credit balance rather than a deposit, for example from overpaying, EtihadWE’s separate Refund service returns it by bank transfer or cash, free of charge. For SEWA, raise a move-out request through the customer portal. SEWA does not publish its clearance or refund timelines, so ask for the final bill and the refund method in writing when you submit the request.

Other EtihadWE Fees Worth Knowing

EtihadWE publishes a full Services and Fees schedule. Most of it concerns new buildings and contractors, but a few lines affect ordinary households:

  • Meter testing costs AED 500, charged only if the test shows the meter was working correctly. Ask for a test if you believe your meter is faulty, but expect to pay if it is not.
  • Permanent disconnection costs AED 100 per meter.
  • A new water connection for a UAE citizen’s house costs AED 2,500 for a 15 mm meter, up to AED 20,000 for 80 mm and above.
  • New electricity connections are charged by load, from AED 300 for up to 200 kVA to AED 1,600 above 5,000 kVA.

FAQ

Which areas does EtihadWE cover?

EtihadWE supplies electricity and water in the northern emirates and has customer happiness centers in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Dibba and Dhaid. The emirate of Sharjah is mainly served by SEWA, though inland areas such as Dhaid fall under EtihadWE. Check the previous tenant’s bill or ask your landlord if you are unsure.

Is EtihadWE the same as FEWA?

Yes, in practice. EtihadWE was established in 2020 under Federal Decree-Law No. 31 and builds on the legacy of the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA). Older bills, apps and guides still use the FEWA name.

How much is the SEWA electricity rate per kWh?

SEWA’s residential tariff is 23 fils per kWh up to 2,000 kWh a month, 28 fils from 2,001 to 4,000, 32 fils from 4,001 to 6,000 and 38 fils above 6,000. A fuel surcharge of 6 fils per kWh is added, and VAT at 5% applies to the bill.

What is the sewerage fee on my SEWA bill?

It is a Sharjah municipal fee of 1.5 fils per gallon of water you use, introduced from 1 April 2025 and collected through the SEWA bill. UAE citizens are exempt. At 6,000 gallons a month, it adds AED 90.

How do I pay my EtihadWE bill without logging in?

Use View and Pay Bill on the EtihadWE website, enter your account number, and pay by card. Card payments are limited to AED 10,000 each, GCC-issued cards only, and five transactions a day. You can also pay at EtihadWE kiosks, banks, Al Ansari Exchange or a service center.

How do I activate electricity and water in Ajman?

Ajman is served by EtihadWE. Log in with UAE PASS, apply for Service Activation, and upload your Emirates ID or passport and a municipality-approved tenancy contract. The request is free online (AED 50 at a center), and power is connected within 24 hours of paying any deposit.

How much is the SEWA or EtihadWE security deposit?

Neither utility publishes a residential deposit amount, and EtihadWE’s activation card only refers to “the deposit, if any”. You will see the amount, if one applies, when you submit the application. Keep the receipt, since it is your evidence when you claim the refund.

How do I get my EtihadWE deposit back?

Apply for a Clearance Certificate online and choose bank transfer, transfer to another EtihadWE account, or cash for the deposit. Pay the final bill, and the certificate is emailed to you. EtihadWE gives an expected time of three working days.

Can I pause my EtihadWE bill while I travel?

No. Traveller Mode only emails your consumption while you are away and does not pause billing or stop disconnection for unpaid dues. It is free, available twice a year per residential account, and extendable by up to 30 days.

Do UAE nationals pay less for electricity in the northern emirates?

Yes, on EtihadWE. Homes of UAE citizens pay a single slab of 7.5 fils per kWh for electricity and 1.5 fils per gallon for water. SEWA’s calculator applies one residential tariff to locals and expatriates, but citizens are exempt from Sharjah’s sewerage fee.

Official Sources

Tariffs, fees and service terms checked on the SEWA, EtihadWE and Sharjah Executive Council websites in October 2026.

This guide is for informational purposes only. UAE regulations and fees are subject to change. Always verify current requirements with the relevant official authority before proceeding with any application or transaction.