SINGAPORE – More than 136,000 households have claimed government vouchers that offset the cost of buying energy- and water-efficient appliances.
The Climate Friendly Households Programme (CFHP), through which the $225 Climate Vouchers are disbursed, will be extended for three months till March 20, 2024, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Facebook on Dec 5.
The e-vouchers are applicable to households living in one- to three-room Housing Board flats and are aimed at helping them to reduce energy and water consumption and save on utility costs in the long run.
They comprise a $150 voucher for them to buy energy-saving refrigerators, a $25 voucher for LED lights and a $50 voucher for water-saving shower fittings.
The scheme, run by the National Environment Agency (NEA) with national water agency PUB, was initially meant to run till Dec 31, 2023.
“We launched the CFHP in November 2020 to encourage households to reduce energy and water consumption, and in turn, inspire Singaporeans to adopt a greener and more sustainable lifestyle,” said Ms Fu. “Now, with the extended deadline, eligible households that have yet to make use of their Climate Vouchers will get more time to do so.”
Eligible households can redeem the vouchers on the programme’s website.
Under NEA’s Minimum Energy Performance Standards, appliances are rated with up to five ticks, shown on labels pasted on appliances sold. More ticks indicate a more energy-efficient appliance.
An appliance with at least three ticks is deemed energy-efficient and can be bought using the vouchers under the scheme.
Energy-saving appliances can be more costly compared with ordinary ones.
The electricity tariff between Oct 1 and Dec 31 is 31 cents per kilowatt-hour. This is up from 29.96 cents in the July-September quarter.
The Straits Times reported in July 2022 that as at May of that year, about 23,000 e-vouchers had been redeemed among about 300,000 eligible households – of which 11,700 were for refrigerators, 7,600 for LED lights, and 3,700 for shower fittings.
