The water and electricity saved from switching to eco-friendly household appliances don’t just benefit the climate – they help you save on utility bills, too, which can help keep costs down when you’re no longer drawing a steady income.
However, the upfront cost of upgrading to a more efficient set of household appliances could run into the thousands if you do a full overhaul of your home. Then there’s the heartache of ditching a refrigerator or washing machine that’s chugging along just fine.
To ease this transition, all HDB households in Singapore will be receiving $300 worth of Climate Vouchers to buy eco-friendly appliances in April this year. If money is the salve to all your issues, this may help.
These vouchers will be doled out as part of the Climate Friendly Households Programme (CFHP), a scheme previously limited to those living in one- to three-room HDB households.
As part of the scheme update, the $300 of Climate Vouchers will be issued in different denominations to be used as they see fit. Previously, the quantum of $225 was split into $150 for refrigerators, $50 for shower fittings, and $25 for LED lights.
Advertisement
Along with this change, the number of eligible eco-friendly appliance types has also been expanded from three to 10. With new items in bold, they include:
- 3- or 4-tick refrigerators
- 3-tick shower fittings
- 2-tick and above LED lights
- 5-tick air-conditioners
- 3-tick basin taps and mixers
- 3-tick sink/bib taps and mixers
- 3-tick water closets
- 4-tick washing machines
- Direct current fans
- Heat pump water heaters
The Climate Vouchers can be redeemed here from 15 April. They will be valid until 31 December 2027.
As with CDC Vouchers, you can only redeem Climate Vouchers at participating retailers in Singapore. These include:
- Audiohouse
- Bathroom Warehouse
- Best Denki
- Chuan Heng Hardware Trading
- Courts
- Dairy Farm Retail Group (Giant)
- Dairy Farm Retail Group (Cold Storage)
- FairPrice
- Gain City
- Harvey Norman
- Mega Discount Store
- Sheng Siong
- T.S. Yong Trading
- Woodlands Domestic Electrical
What eco-friendly household appliances to buy with $300 of Climate Vouchers?
Next comes the question of what eco-friendly household appliances to spend your Climate Vouchers on – especially if you’re looking to get them without paying anything out of pocket.
The good news for silvers living apart from their children is that many appliances made for couples are obviously cheaper than family-sized ones. However, that doesn’t mean that the $300 quantum will be sufficient to foot the entire bill.
Affordable with vouchers:
Here’s what we can afford with the Climate Vouchers alone:
- Three-tick shower fittings:
Did you know that your daily showers, on average, make up more than 30% of your total monthly water expenditure?
Thankfully, a three-tick showerhead and shower tap or mixer combo shouldn’t cost you more than $300 (though they can also cost much more if you go for luxurious fittings).
Rigel Hand Shower W3-R-HSW30801, $60 (as of press time, on discount for $30)
- Three-tick basin, sink or bib taps and mixers:
Bathroom and basin taps combined account for 15% of Singapore households’ total monthly water expenditure. Prices aren’t readily available online, so you’ll have to head down to participating retailers for a quote.
Nevertheless, these should remain within the budget if you don’t opt for luxury options.
(If you’re looking at any online, you can check them against the PUB’s Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS) portal here.)
- Direct current fans:
Fans powered by direct current (DC) are far more power-efficient than those running on alternating current (AC).
That said, the overall savings in terms of electricity are minimal considering how much more expensive DC fans are. DC standing fans will most likely remain within your $300 budget, while their ceiling-mounted counterparts will probably be too pricey.
Mistral MHV708R-G 7-Inch DC High Velocity Stand Fan, $188 (as of press time, on discount for $129.90)
- Two-tick LED lights:
All LED (light emitting diode) bulbs must attain a two-tick rating before they can be sold in Singapore.
That means that any LED light you buy at participating retailers can be paid for with your Climate Vouchers. This would be a good way to use up any spare vouchers you might have after making a bigger purchase below.
Maximising your vouchers:
These eco-friendly appliances cost about, or slightly over, $300 when not on discount if you’re looking to maximise your vouchers. They include:
- Four-tick washing machines:
Laundry accounts for about 15% of household water consumption. Depending on the size of your household, this cheap 6-litre, four-tick washing machine might be the right size for you, if you don’t mind doing laundry more often.
Tecno TWA-6068 6kg Washing Machine, $358 (as of press time, on discount for $336)
- Three-tick water closets:
About a fifth of your monthly water usage can be attributed to flushing.
Three-tick water closets can help reduce water usage in that department, though they don’t usually come that cheap.
One of the cheapest options we found online (from a retailer that isn’t participating in the scheme) costs close to $400.
Top-ups necessary for these eco-friendly household appliances:
However, we won’t be able to get these larger, costlier appliances without topping up some moolah:
- Five-tick air conditioners:
Air-conditioning units are the top energy guzzler in hot and humid Singapore, accounting for about a quarter of energy consumption in households here.
While a single five-tick air-conditioning unit and compressor combo costs at least $1,200, the eco-friendly household appliance will more than pay for itself over its lifetime.
It’s worth getting if you’ve got the finances to afford the initial investment.
Midea System 1 Aircon MAS-1S09E/MSAS-09E, $1,299 (as of press time, on discount for $1,249)
- Three- or four-tick refrigerators:
Refrigerators are working hard to keep our food chilled day in and day out, so it’s understandable why these appliances account for almost a fifth of the total electricity consumption in homes here.
However, two-door fridges, which are just about the right size for a silver couple who cook regularly, that satisfy the three-tick condition will set you back upwards of $600.
- Heat Pump Water Heaters:
These draw ambient heat from the environment to raise the temperature of water, unlike conventional water heaters which use electricity to generate heat.
The hotter the surroundings, the more efficient the heating – good news for us living in tropical Singapore. The downside is the huge upfront cost of a heat pump water heater.
A HDB-appropriate unit from AOS Bath (which isn’t on the list of participating retailers) starts at $2,900.
