Households to see average rise of about 21% in electricity bills from Oct
By S.Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 29 September 2008 1035 hrs
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SINGAPORE: Singaporeans will see an increase of 21 per cent in their electricity bills in the last quarter of this year.
The average electricity tariffs from October to December would go up by 5.38 cents per kilowatt per hour.
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) said it's due to higher fuel oil prices.
For those living in the one to three room public housing flats, this would mean an increase of between S$90 and S$223 in electricity bills for this year.
But the government rebates of $310 to $330 will more than cover the increases for these households.
For the last quarter of this year, this is nearly S$155 per barrel, 38 per cent more than the third quarter.
"I am jobless, so burden for me also," one individual said.
"Even though I don't pay the bill, my son does so I still feel the pinch for him," said another.
Seah Choon Seng, executive director, Consumers Association of Singapore, said: "The 20 per cent adjustment in tariff price is quite hefty for consumers to bear and I suppose one of those very high adjustments we see in many years. We feel that the companies involved in the utilities business should work harder in improving their efficiency to bring down the costs for consumers."
The EMA said the government's U-save rebates to help offset increases in utilities bills is more than enough to cover this year's electricity price increase for one, two and three room HDB flats.
For four room HDB households, the increase to the bill size for this year would be marginally higher than the U-Save rebate given.
These homes received S$295 in U-save rebates. But the total bill size for 2008 is estimated at S$316.
Insurance agent Tommy Wijaya has taken steps to cut energy consumption in his apartment which houses 13 people.
He has installed the e-track device to monitor electricity consumption at home and that has helped bring down his electricity bill by a third, from around S$600 to around S$170 now.
He said: "What we can do is change our habits and change our lifestyles."
The EMA feels there is more room for Singaporeans to conserve and use less energy. That's because the EMA's surveys and findings show that nearly 40 per cent of Singapore homes are using more energy than they require to.
And the air conditioner's one of the largest energy guzzlers in homes here.
Khoo Chin Hean, chief executive, EMA, said: "There is a lot of use which can be curtailed. There is probably quite a bit of wasteful usage. It is this kind of usage we can be more mindful of and take measures to manage our consumption.”
The authority said if the forward fuel prices come down next month, the electricity tariff from January to March 2009 will be reduced accordingly. - CNA/vm
By S.Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 29 September 2008 1035 hrs
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</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD><TD class=update> </TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
SINGAPORE: Singaporeans will see an increase of 21 per cent in their electricity bills in the last quarter of this year.
The average electricity tariffs from October to December would go up by 5.38 cents per kilowatt per hour.
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) said it's due to higher fuel oil prices.
For those living in the one to three room public housing flats, this would mean an increase of between S$90 and S$223 in electricity bills for this year.
But the government rebates of $310 to $330 will more than cover the increases for these households.
For the last quarter of this year, this is nearly S$155 per barrel, 38 per cent more than the third quarter.
"I am jobless, so burden for me also," one individual said.
"Even though I don't pay the bill, my son does so I still feel the pinch for him," said another.
Seah Choon Seng, executive director, Consumers Association of Singapore, said: "The 20 per cent adjustment in tariff price is quite hefty for consumers to bear and I suppose one of those very high adjustments we see in many years. We feel that the companies involved in the utilities business should work harder in improving their efficiency to bring down the costs for consumers."
The EMA said the government's U-save rebates to help offset increases in utilities bills is more than enough to cover this year's electricity price increase for one, two and three room HDB flats.
For four room HDB households, the increase to the bill size for this year would be marginally higher than the U-Save rebate given.
These homes received S$295 in U-save rebates. But the total bill size for 2008 is estimated at S$316.
Insurance agent Tommy Wijaya has taken steps to cut energy consumption in his apartment which houses 13 people.
He has installed the e-track device to monitor electricity consumption at home and that has helped bring down his electricity bill by a third, from around S$600 to around S$170 now.
He said: "What we can do is change our habits and change our lifestyles."
The EMA feels there is more room for Singaporeans to conserve and use less energy. That's because the EMA's surveys and findings show that nearly 40 per cent of Singapore homes are using more energy than they require to.
And the air conditioner's one of the largest energy guzzlers in homes here.
Khoo Chin Hean, chief executive, EMA, said: "There is a lot of use which can be curtailed. There is probably quite a bit of wasteful usage. It is this kind of usage we can be more mindful of and take measures to manage our consumption.”
The authority said if the forward fuel prices come down next month, the electricity tariff from January to March 2009 will be reduced accordingly. - CNA/vm
