ADDC Code of Practice forEfficient Use of

Water & Electricity

March 2016

ADDC Code of Practice for Efficient Consumption

iii

Table of ContentsSection Page

1.0 StatementofPurpose 1

1.1 Mission 1

1.2 Condition35 1

1.3 Definition 1

1.4 Purpose 1

1.5 SpecificGuidance 2

2.0 CommunicationChannels 3

2.1 ADDCWebsite 3

2.2 E-mails 3

2.3 Texts(SMS) 4

2.4 SmartphoneApplications(Apps) 4

2.5 SocialMedia 4

2.6 Telephone 4

2.7 KeyAccounts 5

2.8 BranchOffice 5

2.9 PrintedMaterials 5

2.10 UtilityBills 5

2.11 TelevisionandRadioStations 6

2.12 Outreach 6

2.13 VendorsandTradeAllies 6

3.0 Commitments 7

AppendixA–Condition35toADDCLicense 8

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1.0 Statement of Purpose

1.1 MissionInitsDSM Strategy and Action Plan,dated31December2015,ADDCestablisheditsmissionrelated to energy and water conservation and efficiency as: “to interact with all classes of customers, using various relevant communication channels, in order to provide guidance on the efficient and effective use of electricity and water, encouraging and supporting them to adopt measures that will result in more efficient use of these resources, thereby achieving targeted levels of demand reduction”.Inordertoeffectivelyexecutethismission,AbuDhabiDistributionCompany(ADDC)mustestablishandmaintainasystemoftwo-waycommunicationwithitscustomersofallclasses.Indeed,thisroleispartofADDC’scustomervision—tobeviewedasa“trustedadvisor”onallissuesdealingwithelectricityandwater.

1.2 Condition 35Condition35oftheADDClicenseissuedbytheRegulation&SupervisionBureau(RSB)on1January2014statesthat“The Licensee shall within three months after the Effective Date of this license, after consultation with customers, prepare and submit to the Bureau for its approval and, after approval, implement a code of practice setting out the ways in which the Licensee will make available to customers such guidance on the efficient use of water or electricity as well, in the opinion of the Licensee, enable them to make informed judgements on measures to improve the efficiency with which they use the water or electricity supplied to them”.ThisCodeofPracticeisnotmerelyaboutcompliancewitharegulatorymandate,itisaboutADDC’scommunicationwithcustomerstohelpthembecomemoreefficientintheiruseofbothelectricityandwater.

1.3 DefinitionIn a sense, a “code of practice” is a rule. The Oxford Dictionary defines a rule as “one ofa set of explicit or understood regulations or principles governing conduct or procedurewithinaparticularareaofactivity.”Inthecaseofthiscode,theconductrelatestoADDC’scommunicationofimportanttechnicalinformation,guidelines,andpracticestoitscustomersto enable them to achieve the desired benefits of electricity and reduce waste of theseresources.

1.4 PurposeThepurposeofthisCodeofPracticeistooutlinethewaysthatADDCwillprovideitscustomerswithguidanceontheefficientuseofwaterandelectricity,aswellashowitwillkeepcustomersinformedofmeasurestoimprovetheefficientuseoftheseresources.

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1.5 Specific GuidanceADDC will provide its customers with specific guidance regarding the efficient use waterandelectricity.Thisinformationwillbeorientedtowardbothresidentialandnon-residentialcustomers.TheguidancewillbeprovidedinvariousformatsandthroughvariousmediaandwilladdressthespecificefficiencyandconservationguidancethatisbeingconveyedthroughthisCodeofPractice.

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2.0 Communication Channels

2.1 ADDC WebsiteBecauseADDCispositioningE-Servicesasthepreferredmeansofdealingwithitscustomers,the website will be an important means of communicating efficiency and conservationinformation.Itwillprovidetocustomersinformationregardingtheefficiencyandconservationinitiativesavailabletothem,aswellasaccesstoguidanceontheefficientuseofelectricityandwater.

Thewebsitewillprovideuserswiththeabilitytodothefollowing:

ViewEnergyandWaterEfficiencyInformation–Thewebsitewillprovidedescriptiveinformationonhowelectricityandwaterisused.Thisinformationwillbesegregatedbetweenresidentialandnon-residentialuserstomakeiteasyforcustomerstofindtheinformationthatpertainstotheirparticulartypeofuse.

Brochures–Efficiencybrochures,tipsheets,and“How-To”sheetswillbeavailableindigitalformdirectlyfromthewebsite.

AskaQuestion–Thewebsitewillprovidecustomerswiththeopportunityto“askaquestion”andreceiveananswerviaemail.

2.2 E-mailsMany customers today prefer the convenience of e-mail as a means of communication,particularlywheretheinformationsoughtcanbeprovidedasabriefwrittenresponseoranattachedelectronicfile.E-mailenablesthecustomertosendtheirquestionatthetimeoftheirconvenienceandtoreviewtheresponseinlikemanner.ItalsoprovidesawrittenverificationofthemessagesentbyADDC.

Notifications – Where the customer has given ADDC permission to e-mail themdirectly,e-mailwillbeusedtoprovidethemwithinformationregardingefficiencyandconservation initiatives that pertain to their customer segment.

AnswerstoQuestions–Wherethecustomerhasaskedanefficiencyorconservation-relatedquestionviaemailfromthewebsite,ordirectly,emailwillbeusedtorespondtothatquestion.

ElectronicBrochures–WhereacustomerhasrequestedanelectronicbrochureviatheCallCentre(orchosentorequestratherthandownloadabrochure),anelectroniccopyofthebrochurewillbeemailedtothem.

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2.3 Texts (SMS)Similartoemail,SMS(texting)willbeusedtoprovideefficientconsumptioninformationtocustomerswhochoosethismeansastheirpreferredoption.

2.4 Smartphone Applications (Apps)ADDC has developed and deployed a multi-platform smartphone application to enable itscustomerstoviewinformationandinteractwiththem.Applicationservicesincludetheabilitytoviewelectricityandwaterusagefromtheirmostrecentbillaswellastipsforconservationandefficiency.

2.5 Social MediaSocialmedia isbecomingamoreprevalentmeansofprovidingandseeking information intoday’s culture,particularlyamongyounger customers.ADDC is currentlyusingFacebook,TwitterandInstagramtoreachoutto itscustomers.

2.6 TelephoneInbound calls to theCustomerContactCentre currently represent themost frequentwaythat customersobtainanswers to their energyandwater-relatedquestions.Although thisischangingwiththerolloutofthee-Services initiative, inboundcallswillcontinuetobeapopularmeansof contact formanyADDCcustomers.

Oneof thegoalsof theefficiencyandconservationprogram is toquicklyassessandtheneffectivelymeettheneedsofacustomerwhoisseekinginformationonhowtoefficientlyuseelectricityorwater.TrainedCustomerServiceRepresentativesintheCustomerContactCentrewillassessandanswertheseefficiencyandconservationneeds.

Outbound calls will also be used selectively to contact certain customers targeted for anefficiency promotion.

2.7 Key AccountsADDCassignskeyaccountmanagerstolargegovernmentalandcommercialcustomers(i.e.,customerswithmultiplefacilitieswithsignificantaggregateusageofelectricityandwater)toassistwithbusinesstransactions.Theseresourceswillbetrainedtoprovideinformationto customersonhow tomoreeffectivelyandefficientlyuseelectricityandwater in theiroperations,resultinginreducedusageandassociatedimpactsupontheirbill.

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2.8 Branch OfficeADDCmaintainsbranchofficesthroughoutitsserviceterritorywherecustomersandotherstakeholderscanphysicallycometoconductbusinesstransactions,suchasmakingpaymentsonaccountsorarrangingfornewelectricorwaterservice.Evenwiththeroll-outofarobuste-Servicesbusinessprogramthatenablesserviceovertheinternetandotherdigitalmeans,some customers will still utilise branch offices. These offices are being transformed intoinformationcentersaspartofanimprovementinitiativetomakeiteasierforcustomerstoaccesstheinformationtheyseek.Onebenefitthatbranchofficesmayprovideinthefutureto the efficiency and conservation program is the ability to display efficient technologiesandpracticesinamannerthatallowscustomerstodirectlyinteractwiththemandreceivedemonstrations regarding their use.

2.9 Printed MaterialsBrochuresaredesignedtoconvey,throughacombinationofwords,pictures,andgraphics,informationonhowcustomerscan: choosetechnicalsolutionsthatmoreefficientlyuseelectricityandwater; adoptbehaviorsthataccomplishtasksusinglesselectricityandwater;and maintainsystemstoensurethattheyoptimallyutiliseelectricityandwater.

Sincedigitalmodesofcommunicationsharethesethreeobjectivesinrelationtothepresentationofinformation,ADDCwillusethesamesourcematerialontechnology,behaviours,andbestpracticestopreparetheprintedmaterialsandmaterialsconveyedthroughtheADDCwebsite.Thiswillensureconsistencyofmessagingtocustomers.Brochureswillalsobeprepared indigitalformattoenablebothaccessfromthewebsiteandtransmissionviaemail.

Tipsheetsarebriefbrochures,usuallyasinglepage,thataredesignedtoconveytipsonaparticular subject (e.g., “TenTips toReduceWaterUsagearound theHome”).Often,customerslookforspecificdirectionsonaspecificenergy-efficiencysubjectsuchas:“Howtolandscapeayardwithlowwater-usingvegetation”or“Howtopurchaseanenergy-efficientappliance.”“HowTo”materialswillbebriefanddesignedtoprovidedirectiononthemostoften-encounteredissuesthatresidentialandnon-residentialcustomersencounter inadaptingtheirelectricityandwaterusagepractices.

2.10 Utility BillsWhether received in paper or digital form, a customer’s energy bill serves as a repetitivecommunication from ADDC and provides an excellent means for the company to deliverimportantinformationregardingtheefficiencyandconservationprogram.Thisinformationshouldbekeptfreshandnewwitheachbilltoencouragethecustomertoreadtheinformation.

The utility bill is perhaps the single best format in which to provide the customer withinformationoncurrentusage,forexample,showingresidentialcustomershowmuchoftheirconsumption is inthe ‘green’and ‘red’bands.” Inthesamewaytheprintedtipsheetcan

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communicateinformationonstepsthatcanbetakentoreduceconsumption,theutilitybillcanalsoprovidetips,perhapsintheformatof“TipoftheMonth”.Thesemessagescanbechangedwitheachbill so that the customerbecomesaccustomed to looking for thenewinformation.

Athirdmessagethatcanbeeffectivelyprovidedthroughtheutilitybillistheannouncementofnewefficiencyandconservationinitiativesormaterialsthatareavailabletothecustomer.

2.11 Television and Radio StationsADDCwillleveragelocalTVandRadiostationstodeliverpublicmessagesthroughTARSHEEDcampaigns, sponsor efficiency-promoting programs, fillers and provide proprietary ADDCmaterialregardingtheefficientuseofelectricityandwaterinAbuDhabi.

2.12 OutreachADDCwillcontinuetomakespeakersavailableforuseinschoolassembliesorothervenueswheretheefficiencyandconservationmessagecanbetakenouttoengagecustomers.Basedontheleveloftheaudience,thesepresentationsalsoincorporatecasestudiesandtechnicalinformationthatwouldencourageefficiencyandconservationprograms.

Inadditiontotheopportunitytopresentinformationinaformalclassroomsetting,meetingsin religious and other private organizations can provide a venue for an ADDC speaker topresentthebenefitsofefficiencyandconservation.Thismessagewillutilisethethemesofstewardship,ethics,andsustainabilitytoengageaparticularaudiencewithhowefficiencyandconservationcanprovidebenefitstotheenvironment,thegovernmentandfuturegenerations.

2.13 Vendors and Trade AlliesFor certain types of efficiency initiatives (e.g., appliances, air conditioners, water fixtures)vendorsthatsellenergyorwaterusingequipmentandcontractorswhoinstallsuchequipmentcan be valuable channels for distributing efficiency information regarding that equipment.ADDCwillestablishrelationshipswithkeyvendorsandtradealliestomakeefficiencyeducationmaterialsavailablethroughthematthepointofpurchase.ADDCwillalsodirectcustomerstotheQCCwebsiteforlistsofequipmentthatmeetits Trustmarkrequirements.

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3.0 CommitmentsTo ensure that its customers are effectively engaged with guidance on efficient usage ofelectricity and water, ADDC makes the following commitments to be achieved within 12months of the RSB’s approval of this Code of Practice.

ADDCwill:

1. Maintain multiple channels of communication for efficiency and conservationinformation;

2. EstablishadedicatedDSMDepartmenttomanageefficiencyandconservationprogramsandinitiatives;

3. ProvideenergyandwaterefficiencyandconservationinformationontheADDCwebsite;

4. MakeefficiencyandconservationinformationavailableinBranchOffices;

5. DevelopandlaunchEfficiencyandConservationInitiativesforitscustomers;

6. TrainCustomerServiceStaffinenergyandwaterefficiencyandconservation;

7. EvaluateexpansionoftheKeyAccountprogramtoaddressefficiencyandconservationwithlargecustomers;

8. Providetimelyanswerstocustomerefficiencyandconservationquestions;

9. Providecustomerswithtangiblefeedbackontheirelectricityandwaterusage;

10.Maintaincurrentmaterialsonefficientenergyandwaterusage;and

11. Provide links to outside websites that provide energy and water efficiency andconservation information.

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Appendix A – Condition 35 to ADDC License

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