Speech By Dr Balaji Sadasivan
Minister of State of Health and the Environment

At the launch of the Energy Labelling initiative

Earth Day Celebrations held at the Great World City

on Saturday 20 April 2002 at 3pm

Good Afternoon

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my pleasure to be here today with fellow Singaporeans
to commemorate Earth Day, which falls on Monday, 22 April. I would like to take this opportunity to reinforce our commitment to protect the environment, not just for ourselves, but also for generations of Singaporeans to come.

We use energy in the form of electricity. In Singapore, we generate electricity by burning oil and natural gas in power plants. This results in the emissions of air pollutants and release of carbon dioxide - a greenhouse gas that causes global climate change.

In Singapore, about 20% of the electricity generated are consumed by households. Most of the electricity is used for running refrigerators and air-conditioners. These two appliances alone can account for up to 65% of the electricity consumed in a typical household.

There are various ways we can reduce our electricity consumption without affecting our quality of life or lifestyles. One way is by selecting household appliances that are energy efficient. In fact, if you have been using inefficient appliances all along, you might be able to reduce your electricity bill by up to 30% if you switch to energy efficient appliances.

The theme of this afternoon’s activities is, therefore, focused on how we can use energy efficiently and hence reduce our energy consumption. Today, we will launch the Energy Label for electric household appliances. The label can help you to select energy efficient household appliances that will reduce your electricity bills.

We have had the Singapore Green Label since 1992 and the Energy Label is an extension of the same concept. What is different with this new label is that there will be energy data in terms of energy consumption and efficiency on the labels. The data will help consumers in identifying the more efficient appliances from the less efficient ones. Consumers can also estimate the energy costs and the savings they will gain by switching to more efficient appliances. With this label, it is hoped that consumers will be empowered to make informed choices about the products they buy and manage their energy bills more effectively.

What potential benefits can consumers expect by switching to energy efficient appliances? If we were able to improve the average energy efficiency of our household appliances by 1%, collectively, we would save $8 million every year. Now consider how much we would save if we could improve efficiency by 10%!

My Ministry supports the Energy Label. I would like to thank the Singapore Environment Council for administering the Energy Label under the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme.

I would also like to thank the Chairman and members of the Consumer Sub-committee of the National Energy Efficiency Committee for their valuable advice in developing the Energy Label and for their efforts in promoting energy efficiency and clean energy among Singaporeans.

Last, but not least, I would like to thank the appliance manufacturers, distributors and vendors who are participating in the scheme. It indicates their concern and commitment to serve their customers and to protect the environment.

I wish everyone here a happy weekend.

Thank you.