Budget 2025: Climate vouchers to be raised to $400, extended to Singaporean families in private property
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HDB households will get extra $100 in vouchers in expansion of Climate Friendly Households programme.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
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SINGAPORE – All Singaporean families living in private property will receive $400 worth of vouchers to purchase more efficient household appliances, including certain types of air-conditioners, as an expansion of the existing Climate Friendly Households Programme.
As part of the expansion of the programme, launched in November 2020,
These details were announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget speech
Those eligible for the vouchers can claim them from April 15 onwards.
The vouchers under the programme can be used to buy 10 types of energy- and water-efficient appliances and fittings, such as air-conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators. Eligible items include an air-conditioner labelled with five ticks and a washing machine with four ticks.
The vouchers are valid until Dec 31, 2027, and can be used at more than 150 participating retailers across 500 outlets.
PM Wong said that even as the Government takes steps to reduce the release of planet-warming emissions from carbon-intensive sectors, such as the energy and transport sectors, Singaporeans also have a part to play in the nation’s decarbonisation drive.
He said: “Sustainability is everybody’s responsibility. Individuals have the power to drive change through their choices and behaviour.
“To fully realise our green future, we will need to make lifestyle adjustments and adopt sustainable habits in our daily lives. Every individual action counts.”
Energy-saving appliances tend to be costlier than ordinary ones, but they can translate into lower utility bills.
Switching to energy-efficient appliances is also good for the planet because they require less electricity, which results in reduced emissions from the burning of fossil fuels for power generation.
“I encourage all households to make the switch to more resource-efficient products if you have not done so already,” said PM Wong.
With the inclusion of Singaporean families living in private property, around 90 per cent of households in Singapore will be covered by the Climate Friendly Households Programme, the National Environment Agency and PUB said in a joint statement on Feb 18.
When the programme was first rolled out in November 2020, only Singaporean families living in one- to three-room HDB flats were eligible for $225 worth of vouchers, which could be used for three types of products – refrigerators, shower fittings and LED lights.
But take-up rates for these vouchers were initially low.
There are about 300,000 one- to three-room flat households, which means that 900,000 e-vouchers could have been redeemed in total. In July 2022, The Straits Times reported that only about 23,000 vouchers had been redeemed by May that year.
The programme was supposed to be valid till Dec 31, 2023, but was extended for three more months,
In March 2024, during the debate on the budget of the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, the programme was expanded to include all HDB households. The quantum of e-vouchers was also increased from $225 to $300, which could be used to buy 10 types of energy- and water-saving appliances and fittings.
Residents can claim their vouchers by logging on to RedeemSG ( go.gov.sg/cv-claim
Chin Hui Shan is a journalist covering the environment beat at The Straits Times.
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