SINGAPORE — From April 15, all Housing and Development Board (HDB) households will receive S$300 worth of vouchers to offset the cost of buying climate-friendly appliances. 

Previously, these vouchers — disbursed under the Climate Friendly Households Programme — were applicable only to those living in one- to three-room flats. 

Announcing the expansion of the scheme in Parliament on Monday (March 4) when presenting her ministry's budget, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, added that the move to cover all 1.1 million HDB households is an over-threefold increase.

Dr Khor said that the S$300 vouchers can also be used to buy a wider range of products than before. Households may buy 10 types of appliances — up from three — that are energy- and water-efficient such as washing machines and direct-current fans. The vouchers will be valid until Dec 31, 2027. 

And to make it more convenient for households to use the Climate Vouchers, more retailers will come onboard the programme, she added. The total number of participating retailers will now be 14, with about 300 stores islandwide.

"With these enhancements, we hope to incentivise more households to choose resource-efficient options from the outset, or when their appliances and fittings are due for replacement."

HOW DO HDB HOUSEHOLDS GET THE VOUCHERS?

Under the enhanced programme, all HDB households can redeem their S$300 allotment in denominations of S$2, S$5, S$10 and S$50. 

This can be done online, by logging on to the RedeemSG voucher system website with Singpass, the national authentication system for government and business e-services.

Individuals will have to present the vouchers with a proof of address when using them at participating retail outlets.  

The new vouchers will also be eligible for a wider range of products such as heat pump water heaters, four-tick washing machines and five-tick air conditioners. This is in reference to the energy rating system by the authorities here where higher ticks means an appliance is more energy-efficient.

Dr Khor noted that the 10 eligible products contribute to around 60 per cent of an average household’s electricity consumption, and around 90 per cent of water consumption.

Manufacturers and suppliers are required to affix energy labels — in relation to the rating system — to appliances regulated under the Energy Conservation Act.

The current Climate Friendly Households Programme was launched in November 2020 to help one-, two- and three-room HDB households offset the cost of three- or four-tick refrigerators and LED lights and three-tick shower fittings, in order to save on utility bills in the long run. 

Eligible HDB one- to three-room households could redeem a combined S$225 worth of vouchers comprising a S$150 refrigerator voucher, a S$50 voucher for shower fittings and S$25 voucher for LED lights.

In response to TODAY's queries, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said that since the programme's launch in 2020, 141,000 vouchers have been claimed as of January this year, and about 54,000 vouchers worth about S$4.8 million have been utilised. 

Giving a breakdown of how these vouchers were spent, NEA said that 25,500 vouchers worth S$150 each were used for energy-efficient refrigerators, 16,600 vouchers worth S$25 each were redeemed for LED lights, and 11,500 vouchers worth S$50 each were used to buy water-efficient shower fittings. 

"To give households more time to utilise their current set of Climate Vouchers, we have extended the qualifying redemption period to March 20, 2024," Dr Khor said. 

HDB households who have used the current S$225 vouchers may also claim the new S$300 vouchers under the enhanced programme when it starts, she added.