The Energy Market Authority (EMA), the regulator of the electricity and gas industries; the Ministry of the Environment, Water Resources (MEWR); and SP Group, the sole electrical grid and gas grid operator in Singapore, announced three new initiatives on 5 November aimed at empowering households to use electricity more efficiently.
Advanced Meters
Currently, the analog electricity meters installed at households are read manually once every two months, and households are billed based on estimated and actual consumption on alternate months. EMA, together with SP Group, will deploy advanced electricity meters at all households in Singapore. With advanced electricity meters, households can access and track their half-hourly electricity consumption via the SP Utilities mobile app provided by SP Group. This will allow them to better understand their consumption patterns and reduce their usage to be more energy efficient.
At end September 2019, about 290,000 advanced meters had already been deployed at households across Singapore. These meters were installed at new residential buildings and when the analog meters were due for replacement. The remaining 1.1 million households will have advanced meters installed within the next five years.
Enhanced SP Utilities Mobile App
EMA has worked with SP Group to enhance its SP Utilities mobile app to provide more timely and useful information to help households to be more energy conscious and efficient. This includes the launch of the GreenUP initiative by SP Group. Under this initiative, households can take up the Energy Savings Challenge to reduce their monthly electricity consumption. Households can also earn “leaves” when adopting sustainable habits such as opting for electronic billing and inviting families and friends to join them in their green endeavors. The “leaves” earned will allow them to progress through different levels to redeem shopping rewards from CapitaLand’s shopping malls.
Customized Household Reports
Starting December 2019, EMA and MEWR will start a six-month study involving 1,000 households in Jurong who already have advanced meters. Participating households will receive a monthly Customized Household Energy Efficiency Report (CHEER) during the trial. The CHEER aims to help them understand how their daily habits and activities drive their electricity usage, as well as provide customized energy savings tips to help them save electricity at home.
(Sources: Energy Market Authority, Singapore; The Straits Times)
