800,000 HDB households to receive $90 Million of GST Voucher - U-Save in January 2013

Smaller utility bills from January to March 2013

By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 1 Jan 2013

SOME 1.2 million households can expect to pay smaller electricity bills for the next three months.

SP Services yesterday announced that electricity tariffs for domestic consumers will be reduced by an average 3.7 per cent from January to March.

About 800,000 Singaporean families living in Housing Board flats will also get $90 million worth of rebates to offset utility bills this month. Those who live in one- and two-room flats will get $130 per household. Those in bigger units will get between $90 and $120.



The largest group of beneficiaries are 307,000 families who live in four-room flats, followed by 240,000 families in five-room and larger units, a Ministry of Finance spokesman told The Straits Times.

The rebates are part of the GST Voucher Utilities-Save (U-Save) scheme announced during the Budget debate last year to help middle- and low-income Singaporeans cope with the cost of living. These rebates will be credited directly into the households' utility accounts. Households do not need to apply for the rebates.

The rebates handed out this month are the first of a two-part payout this year. The next payment will be in July.

Besides utility-bill rebates, households will also get help through cash handouts and top-ups to their Medisave accounts, the ministry said yesterday. SP Services said the lower tariffs resulted from reduced fuel prices, leading to savings in generating electricity.

A family in a four-room HDB flat can cut more than $3.80 off its monthly electricity bill. Private apartments and landed homes that use more electricity can get savings of as much as $25 each month.

Electricity tariffs are reviewed every three months based on guidelines set by the Energy Market Authority which regulates the energy sector. The tariffs have fallen since July last year, mainly due to lower fuel costs.

One of those looking forward to the utility-bill rebate is retiree Lee Liong Kim.

"My monthly utility bill is about $40, so the $130 rebate will cover at least three months of bills," said the 73-year-old who lives in a one-room HDB rental flat in Toa Payoh.

Besides rebates, he hopes that more can be done to teach households how to use less water and electricity. "Every bit of saving helps," he added.

Call SP Services on 6671-7117 for more information on the rebates.



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