Incentives to buy energy-efficient gas-based appliances begin today, the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Energy Administration said.
The incentive program is aimed at encouraging the purchase of gas heaters and stoves meeting Level 1 or 2 energy-saving standards, and each residence can apply for subsidies for one heater and one stove, the administration said in a statement on Friday.
The Level 1 standard for gas products requires a thermal efficiency of 88 percent or higher, while the Level 2 standard requires a thermal efficiency of 83 to 88 percent.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Up to NT$400 million (US$13 million) is to be given in incentives under the program, involving subsidies of NT$1,000 to NT$3,000 per appliance purchased from today until April 30, the administration said.
It estimated that the program will support the purchase of an estimated 230,000 appliances.
Applicants need to prepare an application form, valid ID, a bank passbook, an electricity bill using the address where the appliance was installed and a receipt for the purchase, and mail them to the designated address via registered mail.
The administration has also set up a Web site for online applications. The Web site provides information on subsidy procedures and services such as inquiries about specific products and the application status.
The administration said it would extend the subsidy program to replace old electronic appliances.
The program is aimed at replacing old air-conditioners and refrigerators with ones meeting Level 1 energy-efficiency standards. Such appliances that were bought last year and this year are eligible for a subsidy of NT$3,000, the administration said.
Up to NT$2 billion is to be spent on the replacement program, which is expected to subsidize the purchase of about 640,000 appliances.
Combined with a commodity tax rebate program from the Ministry of Finance, consumers could receive as much as NT$5,000 back for each air-conditioner or refrigerator purchased, the statement said.
The administration added that applications for these electronic appliances must include a recycle slip from the Ministry of Environment to confirm that the old appliances have been recycled.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS