938LIVE Channel NewsAsia 1 Nov 08;
SINGAPORE: Ten households successfully completed the National Environment Agency's 10% Energy Challenge and won for themselves energy-efficient prizes in a national lucky draw held on Saturday.
They were able to reduce their energy consumption by at least 10 per cent. The grand prize winner, Mr Wong Hwee Keat, won a fuel-efficient hybrid car.
34-year-old Sudipto Lahiry, a banker by profession, won the third prize, an energy-efficient refrigerator.
He and his family managed to reduce their household's energy consumption by 12.5 per cent, by "rational usage" of the water heater, dryer and the washer.
Mr Lahiry, who lives in a condominium, has always been a firm believer in saving energy wherever possible.
He said there are many ways for a society to adopt more energy-saving measures.
"I think a lot of things can be done to control that....to give you an example, the escalators in all the public buildings, they just keep running all the time...it doesn't take much to just install a sensor, so the escalator is stopped when nobody is using it. That alone can save a lot (of energy)."
To qualify for the nationwide lucky draw, Singaporeans were asked to submit their applications showing a reduction in their energy consumption from May to August this year, compared to the previous four months.
2,300 applications were submitted. Forty were selected from the applications in a pre-draw and 10 lucky households walked away with energy-efficient appliances such as air-conditioners and refrigerators.
In support of NEA's 10% Energy Challenge campaign, South East CDC will embark on various green projects to encourage its residents to actively take part in environmental efforts.
One such programme is the "South East eco-Heroes" initiative which aims to identify 'green' ambassadors to represent four key areas of environmental conservation.
They are Energy Conservation, Litter-free, Recycling and Creating a Green Environment.
These individuals will champion the cause of environmental conservation within the South East District and lead future eco-friendly projects in the community.
In addition, South East CDC, in collaboration with Philips Electronics Singapore, will sponsor 7,500 energy-saving light bulbs for needy residents within the district.
A total of 1,500 families living in one- and two-room households within the Marine Parade GRC have been pre-identified for this campaign titled "Bright Up Our Lives".
Both the "South East eco-Heroes" and "Bright Up Our Lives" campaigns will be launched by Mayor of South East District, Mr Matthias Yeo, on November 8 at Parkway Parade.
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