“Switch and Save – Use LED” is a Climate Action SG initiative to encourage households living in one and two-room HDB flats to switch to using more energy-efficient light
JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN NORTHEAST CDC AND NEA
Singapore, 18 August 2018 – The National Environment Agency (NEA) and the North East Community Development Council (CDC) have jointly launched the “Switch and Save – Use LED” (SSUL) @ North East programme to encourage the adoption of LED lights. Under this programme, all households living in one- and two-room public housing flats in the North East District will be offered a $25 SSUL voucher to buy LED lights.
2 Singapore’s total household electricity consumption has gone up by about 17 per cent in the last decade due to a growing population. As electricity is largely produced by the burning of fossil fuels, lowering our electricity consumption can help reduce the environmental impact of resource mining and emissions produced to generate electricity. The Household Energy Consumption Study conducted by NEA in 2017 showed that lights are one of the top five electricity-consuming appliances in a home[1]. In general, LED lights are more energy-efficient than compact fluorescent and incandescent lamps, but only 28 per cent of households in one- and two-room public housing flats use LED lights, the study revealed. This is the lowest adoption rate of LED lights among household size types.
3 An LED bulb uses about 80 per cent less electricity compared to an incandescent bulb, and LED lights also generally last five times longer than incandescent lights. Households can reap both energy and cost savings if they replace their incandescent or compact fluorescent lights with LED lights.
4 More than 13,000 households in the North East District will benefit from this programme. If all these households switch to LED lights, they are expected to collectively save about 360,000 kWh annually – equivalent to more than $70,000 in energy savings[2] – and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 150 tonnes per annum. All eligible households in the North East District will be notified via mail to collect their vouchers from designated collection points, such as their nearest community centre. The $25 voucher can be used at all Home-Fix, Selffix and Sheng Siong stores across Singapore, Philips Light Lab, as well as roadshows organised by NEA and North East CDC. More details can be found at www.cgs.sg/switchandsave.
5 Mr Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of NEA said, “Taking care of the environment can be done though simple ways. By choosing energy-saving appliances, households can not only save energy and reduce their utility bills, but also reduce carbon emissions. Switching to LED lights is a simple first step all can take. I urge everyone to do his part to conserve electricity and reduce his household carbon footprint to mitigate climate change.”
6 The SSUL @ North East programme was launched today at Punggol North by Guest of Honour and Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, together with Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Adviser to Pasir Ris-Punggol Grassroots Organisations (GROs), Mr Ng Chee Meng, and Mayor of North East District and Assistant Secretary-General of NTUC, Mr Desmond Choo. Thirty-four SSUL volunteers from Hope Worldwide (Singapore), Meridian Junior College and Singapore Polytechnic reached out to more than 500 households and assisted residents to change their lightings to LED lights where required. The launch of SSUL @ North East was also held in conjunction with Young NTUC-North East CDC’s Project Refresh, where over 300 volunteers visited the homes of 35 elderly residents to conduct refurbishment works. The works included painting, cleaning and furniture replacement in homes. As part of Project Refresh, the volunteers also helped residents install LED bulbs in the homes.
7 Alongside the SSUL @ North East launch, 13 young union leaders from Young NTUC Committee organised National Day celebrations for Punggol North residents including a carnival of games and performances. North East CDC also partnered the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to install Digital TV (DTV) Starter Kits for selected households. The DTV Starter Kit comprises an indoor antenna and digital set-top box, along with free delivery and installation. This wil allow the families to continue to enjoy local free-to-air TV programmes after analogue TV signals are switched off after 31 December 2018. IMDA also set up a service counter at the event to help residents with queries.
8 Minister Ng said, “Young NTUC and North East CDC’s Project Refresh aims to provide the residents - many who are getting on in age - with a safe and clean living environment. In this run, partnering NEA and IMDA has added a greater value to our mission by delivering LED bulbs and DTV Starter Kits that will improve the residents’ quality of living. We also see more corporates and volunteers coming forward to participate in this meaningful cause.”
9 The SSUL programme falls under the Climate Action SG umbrella of initiatives to encourage everyone to take simple steps that can reduce their carbon footprint and help to mitigate climate change. It follows the launch of the second run of the Energy-Saving Challenge (ESC) in May 2018, which aims to raise awareness of the importance and ways to reduce electricity consumption. The Challenge includes promotional and outreach activities to inform households of simple energy-saving tips, and encourage them to reduce electricity use by at least one per cent.
10 These activities are a lead up to this year’s Clean and Green Singapore (CGS) campaign where everyone is encouraged to be an agent of change by adopting sustainable living habits. The SSUL programme caters for all one- and two-room HDB households in Singapore, and NEA is looking into progressively rolling-out this programme to the other districts.
[1] Lights account for about six per cent of the total electricity consumption of an average household.
[2] Assuming households use the $25 voucher to replace five 12-W CFL bulbs with five 7-W LED bulbs, and each bulb is used three hours a day.
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