The Ministry of Economic Affairs has allotted an additional NT$3.3 billion (US$106.82 million) for its program subsidizing purchases of energy-saving air-conditioners and refrigerators after demand outpaced this year’s budget, an official at the ministry said yesterday.
The program’s NT$8 billion budget was originally intended to help families exchange their old appliances for ones with the Grade 1 energy label over four years beginning this year, the official said.
Air-conditioners and refrigerators were targeted as they consume the most energy in households.
Photo courtesy of Taichung Economic Development Bureau
The program was meant to spend NT$2 billion per year, but that allotment was used up in late May and early last month, which led to revisions of the budget, they said.
Under the revised plan, the government would allocate an additional NT$3.3 billion to fund the replacements for the remainder of this year, with NT$2 billion for next year and NT$700 million for 2025, they said, adding that the budget’s total sum remained unchanged.
This means more money was available for this year, while decreasing the program’s duration, which probably would not affect outcomes as comparable energy schemes typically achieved the greatest success in their first year, the official said.
A previous iteration of the appliance replacement scheme ran into the same problem in 2019, compelling the ministry to change the budget plan, they said.
The NT$2 billion already spent was estimated to have replaced 640,000 appliances and probably saved up to 383 gigawatt-hours this year, they said.
The new funding means that an additional 1.7 million of the energy-wasting alliances could be replaced, increasing total energy savings to more than 1 terawatt-hours this year, the official said.
The extra money would be sourced from the ministry-controlled Petroleum Fund, they said.
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