Publication

11th August 2001, The Straits Times

Power bills up with more aircon use

And energy wasted while appliances are in standby mode accounts for an average 10 per cent of household bills

By SHARMILPAL KAUR

ENERGY bills in homes here have surged over the past 10 years and a major reason for this is that more families are using airconditioners.

When it comes to energy guzzlers, the aircon is the biggest culprit. For example, Singapore's aircon bill added up to $768 million for homes and offices in 1999.

The rest of the $3.2-billion energy bill for that year was taken up by lighting, ventilation, home and offices appliances such as computers and refrigerators, as well as energy used by the industrial sector.

Another area of concern in energy use here is the amount of electricity consumed when appliances are in standby mode. This wasted energy accounts for an average of at least 10 per cent of household bills in most countries, including Singapore.

But the more immediate concern here is still the amount of electricity used in homes to keep cool.

In 1988, only 19 per cent, or about one in five households had aircons but, in 1998, the figures rose to 58 per cent, or about six in 10 households, a three-fold increase.

Mr Abdul Rashid Ibrahim, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) deputy director for energy conservation, said:' Lifestyles have changed, more people can afford it.'

But while buying the aircon may have become affordable, fuelling it may still burn a hole in some pockets.

According to an EMA survey, it accounted for a third of energy bills in four-room flats with an aircon and almost half the bill for those in five-room flats and private apartments, who tended to use the unit for longer periods.

Just to run a multi-split aircon unit to cool two rooms for eight hours daily costs about $47 a month.

The more widespread use of the aircon and the increasing use of electrical gadgets are reasons why the energy bill for most households have shot up by at least 10 per cent across the board since 1995, with that for three-room and four-room flats showing the sharpest rise.

Said Ms Koh Hui Beng, a communications specialist who lives by herself in a two-bedroom private apartment: 'My bill went up to $165 one month when I left the aircon on most of the time, so the following month, I stopped using it. My bill went down to between $60 and $70. But now, I pay about $95 because I have started using it again, but only between 11 pm and 7 am, when I am in bed.'

Standby energy is another area of concern. The cost of leaving appliances plugged in while not using them can work out to $14.80 each month, or $177.60 a year for private apartments which spend an average of $148 a month on energy.

Said Mr Abdul Rashid: 'Not many people are aware that standby energy could be significant. Switch it off if you don't need the programmable item, like the video-cassette recorder and microwave. All of them consume energy.'

In a study last year, US researchers found that standby energy consumed by many VCRs was 19 times more while on standby mode over the course of its lifetime than while recording or playing, since the machines usually remain on standby for much longer than for play.

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