S’porean CEO, 45, leads Geneco to become S’pore’s leading electricity retailer in less than 1½ year

While Lim Han Kwang has been the chief executive of a local electricity retailer Geneco for less than 1.5 years, he’s no stranger to the energy industry with over 20 years of experience under his belt.

By the time he took on the top job at Geneco, what’s new could be the pressure for energy companies to act on climate change, which Lim acknowledged is “one of the most pressing global issues of our time”.

Speaking to Mothership, Lim added that he strongly believes that Geneco has a “pivotal role” to play in creating a positive impact for the environment.

A city filled with digital natives and screen addicts, how does Geneco nudge more Singaporeans to join the green movement and win the hearts of consumers?

Recent milestone: serving over 160,000 homes

Recently, leading residential electricity retailer, Geneco, managed to hit a new milestone of serving over 160,000 homes in Singapore by Jul. 1, 2022, despite the volatile market conditions in recent months.

Lim described this as an “unforgettable” event. So how did Geneco achieve it?

The retailer’s customisable green add-on may have successfully won the hearts of those who care deeply about the environment.

Increasingly, more Singaporeans are becoming conscious of their carbon footprint and this could have been a motivating factor for people to switch to Geneco.

On top of that, Geneco has streamlined their offerings from six price plans to three.

The three types of fixed price plans are six-, 12- , 24- month plans, offered at competitive prices to attract those who are looking for affordable options.

These fixed price plans can protect consumers from SP Group’s quarterly tariff changes.

Lim said:

“Despite the volatile market in the last few months, we pressed on with our brand belief, which is to ‘Power The Change’ and to always do better and more for our customers. This significant milestone reflects the trust our customers have in us. For that, I am thankful for my team who worked hard for this milestone and for our customers for choosing us to be a part of their every day.”

Singapore’s first and only customisable green add-on

Under Lim’s leadership, the electricity retailer came up with Singapore’s first and only customisable green add-on for an electricity plan, called the Power Eco Add-on, in hopes to encourage more households to contribute to the global effort to fight climate change.

What is a green add-on you may ask? It is an option for Geneco users to offset their carbon emissions from the electricity they consume via buying carbon credits or Renewable Energy Certificates.

“The process was long but thorough rigorous discussion,” Lim recalled the journey in creating this feature.

He explained:

“The awareness on the importance of going green has existed for decades but even till now, it is a conversation that not many Singaporeans would have. What’s even more challenging would be getting more Singaporeans to consider switching up their daily routines that they are used to and do their part for the environment.”

In short, old habits die hard.

Lim’s team at Geneco recognised that for people to make the change in their lifestyle, the change must be really, really easy.

This is why the green add-on was made affordable, simple, verifiable, impactful and flexible.

Just like customising the sugar level for bubble tea, you can choose to offset between 25 per cent to 100 per cent of the electricity you consume with Geneco’s green add-on.

Contributing to the environment can be just S$1 more per month.

This customisable green add-on was launched on National Day in 2021, which made it particularly memorable for Lim and his team.

Through the process of working on this green add-on, Lim said that he could feel “the passion, belief and dedication” that his team had in encouraging more Singaporeans to adopt a greener lifestyle.

“It dawned on me that they were not just doing this as a job but that they saw it as their duty for a greener nation,” he added.

Other sustainability efforts

Providing consumers with the option to offset their carbon emissions is just one of the many ways that Geneco tries to support Singapore’s efforts to go green as a nation.

Geneco also provides customised solutions for consumers who wish to install solar panels on their rooftops.

This includes a complimentary no-frills service of assessing the rooftop, understanding their electricity usage, and working with banks to provide different financing solutions for interested persons.

In 2021, Geneco has pledged to plant 250 trees in the coming five years in support of NParks' OneMillionTrees SG Movement and the SG Green Plan 2030.

Earlier this year, the team announced an additional 150 trees donation as part of their celebration of serving over 150,000 homes.

In addition, the company has launched a fundraising effort to support the tree planting cause and aims to raise S$22,500 from the public. Geneco is also committed to match dollar-for-dollar for the amount that will be raised, meaning the initiative will contribute a total of S$45,000.

Moving forward

In the long run, Lim believes it is important to keep a close watch on the development in the areas of green hydrogen, green power import, as well as carbon capture technology.

“The ability to adapt fast and grow in tandem with the rapid transition of the energy sector from a fossil-based system of production and consumption to renewable energy sources will be key,” Lim said.

He added that Geneco aims to remain at the forefront of this space and offer these green alternatives to our customers once they become commercially viable.

For example, Lim shared on his LinkedIn on Jul. 29 that Geneco and its parent company YTL PowerSeraya have established a partnership with Strides, one of the largest EV passenger and commercial vans operators in Singapore.

They have since submitted a tender to the Land Transport Authority on deploying Electric Vehicles (EV) charging points in HDB carparks.

Promotions for new sign-ups

For now, you can do your part for the Earth by choosing Geneco and selecting the green add-on that you’re most comfortable with.

To celebrate their milestone of serving over 160,000 homes as a leading electricity retailer, here are some perks for those who are interested in making Geneco your electricity retailer.

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For S$50 bill rebate, use this promo code: TOGETHER50

Mothership readers can enjoy an​ additional S$30 bill rebate with exclusive referral code: MS30

You can enjoy more rebates with credit card offers,​ and as the Jay Chou World Tour 2022 Presenter, you can stand a chance to win a pair of tickets worth S$436 to the Jay Chou Carnival World Tour concert in Singapore.

Find out more here.

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The writer of this sponsored article by Geneco listens to Jay Chou and tries to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Top image via Chinese Media Group. Permission required for reproduction.