Channel NewsAsia 26 Apr 08;
SINGAPORE: Households consume about one-fifth of the electricity in Singapore and their total electricity use has gone up by almost four times in the last 20 years.
With rising energy prices worldwide, households' increasing electricity consumption is a cause of worry.
Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, said: "We have seen oil prices soaring beyond the US$115 a barrel mark. Despite the price hikes, the demand for energy from countries has not slowed down. Our electricity tariffs have been adjusted upwards for four quarters in a row due to higher fuel prices."
Dr Yaacob was speaking at the launch of the National Environment Agency's (NEA) launch of the 10% Energy Challenge on Saturday.
The aim of the NEA's challenge is to encourage more households to cut their energy consumption. Households will be eligible for a lucky draw if they reduce their energy bills by at least 10 per cent.
This is for the May to August period and the top prize is a fuel efficient hybrid car.
The NEA is confident an average 4-room HDB household can save more than S$100 a year by following simple energy saving tips. Meanwhile, a household on a landed property could save about S$400 a year.
Savings could be even higher for some households. A member of the public shared with the NEA how he used to pay over S$190 in utility bills for his 4-room flat. But when he started the habit of switching off his appliances at the power socket instead of leaving them on standby mode, he managed to reduce his monthly utility bill by S$50.
Households will start receiving energy efficiency information kits from about mid-May. The kits include tips on how to save electricity as well as stickers and magnets.
There is also a parallel Energy Challenge for schools - with awards for the top three schools whose students reduce their household energy bills by at least 10 per cent. So far, 41 primary schools have signed up for the school-wide challenge.
Other programmes under the Energy Efficient Singapore Masterplan launched last October are being drawn up for the industry sector - which used 43 per cent of total electricity in 2005. Buildings account for 31 per cent of energy use and transport another five percent.
The NEA is in the process of identifying the sectors for energy reduction and is collating data to determine suitable measures, indicators and targets for different sectors. - CNA/vm
Use 10% less energy, win a fuel-efficient car
Tania Tan, Straits Times 27 Apr 08;
Go ahead, live it up. But do it the green way.
A new national campaign, 10% Energy Challenge, encourages home owners to find a balance between enjoying creature comforts and reducing electricity usage.
'This means adjusting our lifestyles and habits to use less energy without having to lower our living standards and comfort levels,' said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim.
Spearheaded by the National Environment Agency (NEA), the campaign's goal is to cut household electricity usage by 10 per cent.
To spark interest in the campaign, the NEA will conduct a lucky draw. The grand prize: a fuel-efficient hybrid car. Other prizes include energy-efficient appliances.
To qualify for the draw, households need to cut electricity usage by 10 per cent between next month and August.
The campaign was officially launched by Dr Yaacob yesterday at Suntec City.
Rising energy and food prices have been the result of climate change, caused in large part by the excessive use of fossil fuels, he noted.
NEA's drive is designed to not just reduce energy use but to also help consumers use electricity in a smarter, more cost-effective way.
Households will be getting 1.12 million booklets containing tips within the next few weeks.
'This will help stretch our dollars in the wake of rising prices of oil, food and other commodities,' Dr Yaacob said.
For a four-room HDB flat, cutting power usage by a tenth could help save more than $100 a year, he added.
Higher living standards have led to a proliferation of electrical appliances such as air-conditioners, computers and mobile phones - all of which require electricity.
The average Singaporean household used 6,820 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of power last year - nearly four times higher than the amount in 1995, said the NEA. One gigawatt-hour is equivalent to one million kilowatt-hours.
In most homes, air-conditioning and refrigeration take up the lion's share of electricity use, said Dr Yaacob.
A 10 per cent reduction could save more than 680GWh or up to $162 million off the nation's electricity bill.
'We do not expect Singaporeans to give up creature comforts like a car or air-conditioning,' said NEA chief executive officer Lee Yuen Hee. 'But we hope to show them that they can enjoy these things in a more efficient manner.'
SAVING ENERGY
How to reduce your monthly electricity bills:
# Use a fan instead of an air-conditioner. This could save about $600 annually.
# If you use an air-conditioner, set the temperature to 25 deg C or higher. Each degree increase helps save about $20 a year.
# Switch off home appliances, instead of leaving them on standby. This saves about $50 a year.
# Choose energy-efficient light bulbs. Using a 7W fluorescent lamp instead of a 40W incandescent bulb saves about $15 per bulb a year.
# Pick energy-efficient appliances. Since January, all air-conditioners and refrigerators must be labelled with energy-efficient stickers. A highly efficient four-tick air-conditioner saves about $350 annually, compared to a unit with just one tick.
