Some households in Singapore will be able to apply for e-vouchers to purchase products that are more water and/or energy efficient, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said at the launch of Clean and Green Singapore 2020 on Nov. 28.

In total, this Climate-Friendly Household Package amounts to S$24.8 million as announced in March by the then-Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (now the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment).

More than 300,000 one- to three-room households are eligible for these e-vouchers.

E-vouchers to encourage households switch to more climate-friendly electrical appliances

Under this programme, eligible one- to three-room HDB households will be given three types of e-vouchers to buy items, such as LED lights, energy-efficient refrigerators, and water-efficient shower fittings.

In total, eligible households will receive e-vouchers amounting to S$225:

• S$150 e-voucher for purchase of an energy-efficient and climate-friendly refrigerator
• S$50 e-voucher to offset the cost of changing their shower fittings to more water-efficient three-tick models
• S$25 e-voucher for purchase of LED lights.

Why refrigerator, shower fittings and LED lights?

Using energy- and water-saving electrical appliances are important climate actions on an individual level and it can be cost-saving for users too.

Refrigerators

In Singapore, refrigerators are one of the most energy-intensive household appliances. It forms 17 per cent of the total electricity bill in households.

According to a release from the National Environment Agency, if each of these eligible HDB households switched to a more energy-efficient refrigerator, the combined electricity cost savings of these households will be about S$160 million.

The associated carbon abatement would be equivalent to 357 million kg CO2 of carbon emissions, or the annual carbon emissions from 110,000 cars.

Shower fittings

In terms of water usage, showers take the bulk of it in a household.

Almost 30 per cent of total household water consumption comes from showers.

If these eligible households changed one shower fitting to a more water-efficient one, in total, we would collectively save 1.1 million gallons of water each day.

LED Lights

Currently, more than 64 per cent of the eligible one- to three-room HDB households do not use LED lights.

LED lights use about 80 per cent less electricity compared to incandescent lights, and 40 per cent less electricity compared to compact fluorescent lights (CFL) and linear fluorescent lights.

They generally last longer too and that means households will save money on changing the lights less frequently.

If all households made the switch, we could collectively save up to S$3.7 million in annual energy costs.

How to apply for e-vouchers?

Eligible households can apply for their e-vouchers at www.go.gov.sg/cfhp.

Instructions on how to redeem e-vouchers will be sent to each eligible household via physical mail.

Eligible households can then present the e-vouchers at participating merchants’ outlets for redemption before Dec. 31, 2023.

Top image via CGS Facebook Live screengrab