SINGAPORE: This week, although the government said that while Singapore has not had to draw on fuel reserves or resort to fuel rationing amid the crisis resulting from the war in the Middle East, measures to conserve energy will begin, including raising the temperature in government offices to at least 25°C.
“Each degree raised reduces energy needs by around 10%,” said the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment on April 8.
Other measures, including installing energy-efficient tech lights and sensors, as well as encouraging the use of fans and public transport, were also discussed in Parliament.
The conflict in the Middle East has resulted in the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for around a fifth of the world’s energy needs. Asia, which is heavily dependent on oil and gas from the Gulf, has been particularly hard-hit, and other Southeast Asian countries have since been introducing similar measures at the time of year when temperatures are beginning to soar.
On Friday (April 10), the BBC published an article about the new energy-saving measures in Singapore titled “Hot in the city: Energy crisis tests Singapore’s air-con addiction.”
It cited founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as having recognised how important air-conditioning is, saying that it “changed the lives of people in tropical regions” because it let people work inside amid the heat outdoors.
“The first thing I did upon becoming prime minister was to install air conditioners in buildings where the civil service worked. This was key to public efficiency,” Mr Lee had said.
The BBC piece also mentions that some people believe air-conditioning is used in Singapore to an excessive degree, where the low temperatures indoors cause people to bring sweaters to work and where it’s normal for malls, public transport, and homes to be cooled down every day.
When the article was shared on Reddit, users on the platform were quick to chime in with their thoughts on the “air-con addiction.”
“One cannot be addicted to oxygen,” wrote one.
“Bruh, we all know Singapore cannot survive without air-conditioning and coffee,” added another.
“More like, energy crisis squeezes Singapore’s air-conditioned living for decent quality of life,” a commenter quipped.
Another suggested, “Maybe ask the BBC Singapore office if they too could work without air conditioning in their office?”
“Addiction? I would argue air-con is a human right in tropical countries (especially SG being smack in the middle of the equator)… even die-hard patriots would agree with me. Lee Kuan Yew is 110% right about air con being key to Singapore’s economic growth,” one groused. /TISG
Read also: Singaporeans ask if air-conditioning will be turned off in Parliament as suggestions for saving fuel are brought up
