SINGAPORE - One hundred low-income households in MacPherson will only pay half their electricity bills for one year. The rest will be borne by licensed energy retailer Sunseap Energy, a local company that is a subsidiary of Sunseap Group.
Sunseap will also provide these homes with solar energy as part of a social initiative to provide clean and affordable energy to households.
In a Facebook live session with MacPherson incumbent MP Tin Pei Ling on Monday (July 6), chief executive of Sunseap Frank Phuan said that the cost of solar energy has become lower than traditional sources of energy.
"This is the first step towards sustainability; not just clean and green, but more affordable energy to the masses. Hopefully this will start the ball rolling with other corporates joining us after this one year and not just in MacPherson but other parts of Singapore as well," said Mr Phuan.
The scheme, the brainchild of Sunseap Group and incumbent MP Tin Pei Ling of the People's Action Party, will be introduced later this year. Residents will not have to pay any installation charges.
The PAP MacPherson Branch said that it intends to work with Sunseap and other like-minded local companies to test and implement smart solutions within the estate.
Ms Tin, 36, said the initiative comes as residents have regularly sought help with their utility bills at meet-the-people sessions.
One MacPherson resident hoping to benefit from the scheme is 44-year-old Fadillah Leman, a babysitter who lives in Block 52 Circuit Road. She said: "We have outstanding utilities bills so any help will be good. Hopefully they choose the 100 households carefully."
Other initiatives for residents later this year include dialogues and workshops at which PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) and job seekers can get advice from career counsellors. Children from lower-income families also stand to benefit from a Coding For Children programme.
Ms Tin is defending the single seat against opposition veteran Goh Meng Seng, 50.
Speaking to the media about the latest initiatives, the secretary-general of the People's Power Party said: "Any project that comes to the estate is always good. However with limited resources we must prioritise the essentials."
Listing covered walkways, a community hospital, and revamping the flats in the estate as some of these essentials, he added: "Maybe she thinks that the infrastructure of the whole estate is properly done, but I tend to disagree."
