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Premier Sean Chen stated today that the government will subsidize LED bulb purchases by members of disadvantaged groups this year, which will not only benefit these citizens but also promote the development of green industry.
The LED bulb subsidy will start next month, the MOEA said. The program will subsidize about 220,000 lower-middle-income and low-income households as well as 1,500 government certified welfare institutions and will be implemented in two stages.
The premier announced the subsidy program after hearing the Ministry of Economic Affairs' (MOEA) report on the effectiveness of its green-energy home appliance subsidies in 2012 at the Cabinet meeting.
In order to encourage green consumption and complement energy price adjustments as well as the debut of all-digital television, the MOEA implemented two waves of subsidies on energy-saving products last year. These programs garnered enthusiastic responses from the public and benefited citizens, businesses and the government alike, Premier Chen said. Policy goals like economic stimulus, energy conservation, carbon reduction and environmental protection were all accomplished, and citizens became more familiar with the government's green products label, he noted.
The subsidies boosted home appliances sales to NT$36.5 billion (US$1.26 billion) last year, a 160 percent gain over 2011, and increased related industrial production value to NT$66.5 billion (US$22.92 billion), according to the premier and the MOEA. Moreover, the products sold are projected to save 360 million watts of electricity annually and 3.2 billion watts over their lifetimes. "The subsidies achieved the double effect of stimulating economic consumption and resource conservation," the MOEA said.
Chen directed the MOEA to draw on last year's experiences to implement the LED bulb program as well as the next wave of green-energy subsidies, for instance, by providing diversified channels for applying for the subsidy, including paperless ones.
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