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This is the view of Madam Halimah Yacob, an MP for Jurong GRC, when The Sunday Times spoke to her and other MPs about the impact on households of electricity tariffs going up this week. 'What they are using now is already so basic, you can't ask them to cut any more,' said Madam Halimah.
From Tuesday, electricity will cost 23.88 cents per kilowatt-hour (kwh) for the next three months. This is a rise of about 5 per cent from the 22.62 cents per kwh charged this quarter.
A family living in a four-room HDB flat, using an average of 355kwh a month, will pay $85 monthly, or $12 more.
The MPs, noting that the tariff hike follows a string of increases in food and transport costs, said the lower-income group will feel the pinch most.
As Madam Halimah said: 'For families operating on a very tight budget, every cent counts.'
With the higher cost of living, the MPs said an average of three residents weekly seek their help for unpaid power bills.
Mr Charles Chong, an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, has also observed a slight increase in the number of cases where people are unable to cope with inflation. 'In the past, we had one case or even none. Now, with costs going up, we can get up to five cases a week,' he said.
MPs say they will help residents who run into arrears to negotiate instalment payment plans with Singapore Power. Vouchers are also available to help them pay their bills.
Electricity tariffs are reviewed quarterly and revised mainly according to fluctuations in fuel-oil prices. The latest adjustment has pushed the rate to its highest level in eight years.
The National Environment Agency said that besides the air-conditioner, the other energy guzzlers in a typical home are the refrigerator, lighting items, water heater and computer. Its advice: Set the thermostat as high as comfortably possible, use one large refrigerator instead of two small ones, and use fluorescent tubes instead of the regular bulb.
Marketing manager Leonard Chia, 45, whose family of four live in a three-bedroom condominium unit, is already figuring out how to reduce his power bill ahead of the tariff hike.
Since January, his monthly power bill has been $300. It usually hovers around $250. He will disconnect one of the two fridges in the kitchen and stuff all the food into one. As for the five-bulb lamp in his living room, it will be replaced with a lamp with a single energy-saving bulb.
But the MPs noted there are also Singaporeans - including those who do not earn much - who are unwilling to adjust their habits.
Housewife Lam Sow Xing, 45, thinks her monthly bill of $250 is too high but finds it hard to trim it. She lives in a five-room flat in
Sengkang with her husband and two teenage children.
They have three air-conditioners, four TV sets and two computers. Each of these is used for up to 10 hours a day.
'When the kids are at home, the TV sets and computers are on,' she said. 'And my husband can't live without the air-con.'
Ms Lee Bee Wah, an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, said she has come across families living in four-room flats and complaining of a $400 power bill. 'They keep all the air-cons on all night, have a plasma TV set and a big fridge. And they say they can't sleep without the air-con,' she said.
North West District Mayor Teo Ho Pin reminded Singaporeans to choose appliances that meet their needs. 'Ask yourself, do you really need a big fridge?' he said. But he added that habits take time and discipline to change.
Meanwhile, town councils and private estates are in a hurry to manage rising costs.
North West District, for instance, is looking at using solar energy to light up the parks and landscaped areas.
A 699-unit condominium in Choa Chu Kang has gone for energy-saving bulbs, and shorter operating hours for water features and motion-detector lights.
What tips do you have on cutting down on your electricity bills? Share them by e-mailing suntimes@sph.com.sg
