Some consumers opt for gas-powered appliances to cut cost
Amanda Yong, The New Paper 4 Nov 08;
UNLIKE most Singaporeans who have been worried about rising power bills, Mr Frederick Wong, 38, has had reasons to smile.
He has seen savings of about 30 per cent every month.
Reason? Mr Wong, a facility manager, has switched to gas-driven appliances, cutting down on the electricity consumption for his household of two.
Mr Wong, who lives in a four-room HDB executive flat in Sembawang, switched from using an electric water heater to a gas-powered one in June.
He has also been using a gas-powered clothes dryer since August.
He is not alone.
According to City Gas, the leading provider of gas appliances such as water heaters and clothes dryers in Singapore, more than 600,000 households are using such appliances.
More consumers are expected to make the switch especially after the latest 21 per cent hike in electricity tariff rates.
Cheaper alternative
Gas tariff rates are now about 30 per cent less expensive than electricity tariff rates per kilowatt-hour (kwh), according to City Gas.
Currently, SP Services charges 30.45 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity. The current gas tariff, according to City Gas website, is 21.21 cents per kilowatt-hour - a difference of 9.24 cents.
Said Mr Wong of his decision to switch to gas: 'It's great in terms of cost savings especially with the latest increases in electricity tariff rates. I also decided on switching to gas as it's a cheaper form of alternative energy.'
Since May, City Gas said it has been selling at least 70 clothes dryers a month compared to 30 just over a year ago.
The company's new eight-litre water heater, 'targeted at the mass HDB market', has also been snapped up at a rate of 250 a month since its launch in July, said its CEO, Mr Ng Yong Hwee.
And, Mr Ng expects 'the take-up rate to be even higher' in the near future as the company ramps up its publicity campaign and the products begin to retail at more stores.
Another satisfied user, Madam Jean Ng, 42, a sales consultant, said her family of eight has been saving as much as $50 on her power bill per month since they started using a gas clothes dryer about a year ago.
Madam Ng, who lives in a Woodlands condominium, had previously used an electric clothes dryer for a few years.
To consumers worried about the safety of such appliances, Mr Ng gave this assurance: 'Safety is not an issue.'
He said: 'Even in the event of a gas leak, which is highly unlikely, the gas will rise and dissipate into the atmosphere. This is because the gas, unlike bottled gas, is lighter than air.
'There are also built-in safety features in the appliances.'
When contacted, Mr Tan Jin Thong, president of the National Safety Council, said that gas appliances 'are pretty safe'.
He added: 'Both electrical and gas appliances have their own hazards. What is more important is that the user must know how to use the appliance and take proper precautions.'
According to City Gas website, the water heater contains 'built-in overheating protection, flame failure and incomplete combustion devices'.
The clothes dryer has 'a built-in sensor that can detect any flame failure and cut off gas supply immediately'.
Mr Wong said he was not concerned about the safety aspect: 'I think gas appliances are just as safe as electrical appliances.'
Madam Suzanna Chan, 35, a showroom manager who also uses gas appliances, said: 'They should be quite safe as they've gone through tests and have been approved.'
