The nation has saved 4.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, equal to the annual output of a power plant for a whole year, since a rate discount program was introduced in July last year by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電), chairman Edward Chen (陳貴明) said on Wednesday.
The reduction in electricity consumption also reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 2.6 million tonnes or the equivalent to the volume of carbon dioxide absorbed by a 201,893-hectare wooded park, Chen said.
This resulted in savings of about NT$6.4 billion (US$198 million) in electricity bills, he said.
Taipower decided to increase the maximum discount rate to 30 percent as of July this year, Chen said. Households and elementary and junior high schools that reduce their monthly usage by 10 percent or more this year will be eligible for a discount of up to 30 percent. A reduction of 5 percent to 10 percent could earn a 20 percent discount, he said.
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