DUBAI // More than 100 people gathered outside their apartment blocks yesterday to decide how to fight back against what they claim are excessive cooling charges.
The residents of the Skycourts development in Dubailand met in the courtyard to protest against the fees, which they say can reach an average of Dh800 per month.
The charges come from Alpha Utilities Management, a company specialising in district cooling.
One resident, who declined to be named, said the building was cooled through a 300-tonne capacity chiller rather than a district cooling system.
"The units are placed just outside the building," he said. "I'm from the construction industry and I can make out the difference. Even if it was district cooling, the charges are still abnormally high.
"We simply cannot afford to pay this much on top of Dewa charges.
"Our objective today is to call an owners' association meeting to understand why there's such a heavy charge. Next we want to approach the authorities."
The development is owned by National Bonds. Neither they nor Alpha Utilities Management could be reached for comment yesterday.
This week, air conditioning was shut off to an entire building in Jumeirah Lakes Towers because the owners' association had not paid a bill of Dh811,000.
District cooling is a plant-based method for producing and supplying cooled water for use in air conditioning systems, to a 'district' of several buildings. Prices can vary but residents of an average two-bedroom flat in Dubai can expect to pay between Dh300 and Dh900 per month for district cooling charges, depending on the area.
The gathering yesterday was organised by residents, who put up notices of the meeting by the lifts in each of the six towers in the 2,800-unit development.
One of them was Mohammed Al Khatib, who moved into the development five months ago.
"At first there were no bills," he said. "Suddenly we found them under our doors, saying that we needed to pay Dh4,000 or Dh6,000.
"It was just a lump sum amount without any breakdown.
"I would just like to know where they got that amount from."
mcroucher@thenational.ae
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
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- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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