To promote energy saving and emissions reduction, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said yesterday that starting today, the nation’s households, elementary and junior high schools would receive a discount of up to 20 percent on their electricity bills if they cut their electricity use by more than 10 percent from the same period a year ago.
The nation’s households use an average of 448 kilowatt hours per month during the summer. If they reduce electricity use by an average 50 kilowatt hours from the same period a year ago, they will be able to save up to 20 percent per month on electricity bills, the ministry report showed.
“Electricity prices will decrease if you reduce electricity use, but if you fail to do so, prices will go up,” Minister of Economic Affairs Yiin Chii-ming (尹啟銘) said at a press conference yesterday.
Under the ministry’s new discount policies, households that either hold their electricity usage steady or cut their electricity use by less than 5 percent from a year ago will receive a 5 percent discount, or save NT$10 per month on their electricity bills.
Households that save between 5 percent and 10 percent on electricity consumption will receive a 10 percent discount, or about NT$72 per month, on their electricity bills, the report showed.
The ministry said it estimated that 9.32 million households, elementary and junior high schools would benefit from the new discount policies.
In addition, the ministry would also boost loans with preferential interest rates to domestic businesses from NT$10 billion to NT$50 billion, in a bid to encourage businesses to replace their non-energy efficient equipments.
“The discount policies are designed to offset the pressure stemming from rising electricity prices and also encourage the public to reduce electricity consumption,” Yiin said.
To comply with the Cabinet’s policy, the state-owned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) will raise its electricity prices by 12.6 percent today, and another 12.6 percent on Oct. 1.
Huang Huei-yu (黃惠予), deputy director of Taipower’s department of public relations, said the price adjustments were expected to help boost company revenues up by NT$40 billion (US$1.3 billion) this year.
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