Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia 17 Oct 08;
SINGAPORE: Air-conditioners and refrigerators which are not energy efficient will be taken off the shelves in the near future.
New cars will also have to carry labels that show their fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
These changes are all part of Singapore's national campaign to conserve energy.
Energy labels have been pasted on refrigerators and air-conditioners from January this year to help Singaporeans make informed choices in their shopping. They will be extended to dryers from April 2009.
But the National Environment Agency (NEA) said about 11 per cent of air-conditioner models and less than one per cent of refrigerators are not energy efficient.
NEA also released figures that showed a reduction in electricity usage in Singapore. The average monthly electricity consumption between May and August this year dropped by four per cent compared to the same period last year.
Lee Yuen Hee, CEO, NEA, said: "It could be a combination of factors - because electricity tariffs have actually been increasing in the past few quarters, and this could have contributed to a reduction in consumption.
"We hope that households will continue to practise the electricity saving habits that we've been advocating. This is particularly because of the financial situation at this point in time and also the prospect of recession coming in." - CNA/vm
