Households consuming 17% more electricity than a decade ago

Tan Si Hui Channel NewsAsia 5 May 18;

SINGAPORE: Four in five Singapore households are motivated to save energy if they can save money, according to a 2017 National Environment Agency (NEA) study released on Saturday (May 5).

But households may not practise energy-saving actions if they are perceived to be inconvenient.

These findings were released in conjunction with the launch of the second edition of the Energy-Saving Challenge, which aims to encourage energy-saving practices.

This year’s challenge was launched by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli, and Mayor of North West District Teo Ho Pin, at Northpoint City.

According to NEA's press release, households consumed about 7,295 Gwh of electricity, which is up by about 17 per cent from 2007 levels. This is equivalent to each household in Singapore spending an average of about S$1,000 per year on electricity consumption.

In a survey, which metered the electricity consumption of 550 households for a week in 2017, NEA found that air-conditioners (24 per cent), refrigerators (17 per cent) and water heaters (11 per cent) accounted for most of the electricity consumption in a typical home. Others included lamps, fans and television sets.

The survey also revealed that more households in 2017 compared to 2012 were practising actions such as choosing energy-efficient appliances and setting their air-conditioners to 25 degrees Celsius or higher.

However, fewer households switched off appliances after use or opted to use a fan instead of the air-conditioner.

“This is why we designated 2018 as the Year of Climate Action - to raise the level of national consciousness on the need to take climate action for a sustainable Singapore,” said Mr Masagos.

“This year’s Energy-Saving Challenge will continue to encourage households to practise simple energy saving habits, and at the same time, emphasise how these positive actions will reduce our carbon footprint.”

The 2018 edition of the Energy-Saving Challenge encourages the practice of three simple energy-saving tips: switching off appliances after use, setting the temperature of air-conditioners at 25 degrees Celsius or higher and choosing energy-efficient appliances that have more ticks.

Under the Challenge, participating households must reduce their electricity use by 1 per cent or more during the Challenge period from May to August to stand a chance to win one of 700 prizes worth more than S$60,000.

Registration for the Challenge is now open and interested households can sign up at www.cgs.sg.