Electricity providers in Singapore typically generate electricity for homes by burning fossil fuels like oil and gas. You probably already know this is not an eco-friendly or sustainable method of generating electricity at all.
Fossil fuels are a finite resource, which means eventually, Mother Earth will run out of them and then it’s ‘good game’ to us all. So what you can you do if you want to run an eco-friendly household as best you can?
Aside from implementing eco-friendly home improvement ideas or living in sustainable residences, you can switch your electricity provider and hop onto a green electricity plan.
With the Singapore government’s plans to make energy greener and the building of a solar farm that can power up to 16,000 four-room HDB flats for one year, we say if you’re looking for a sign to make the switch, this is it.
What is Green Electricity?
That’s where green energy (or electricity, in this case) comes in. If you look up the definition of green electricity, you’ll probably find it refers to electricity generated from renewable (and sometimes infinite) resources like solar or wind power.
In the Singaporean context, however, the term green electricity is used pretty broadly and includes carbon neutral energy as well, which many electricity retailers offer. As you’ll read later in the article, Sunseap is actually the only electricity retailer exclusively focusing on clean, solar electricity.
Solar Vs Carbon Neutral Energy
The main difference is that carbon neutral energy is not necessarily 100% clean. Unlike solar or wind power-generated energy which doesn’t touch fossil fuels at all, carbon neutral energy could still be generated the ‘normal’ way.
It is, however, still sustainable in a sense because it offsets the carbon emissions produced. From your electricity usage, the electricity retailers will estimate your carbon emission impact and obtain carbon offset credits for it. These credits then go towards organisations and initiatives that help reduce carbon emissions.
Which Electricity Retailers Offer Green Electricity Plans in Singapore?
Now that we have a better understanding of what green electricity means, let’s look at the 6 electricity retailers that offer eco-friendly electricity plans in Singapore. The below figures include GST and are accurate at the time of writing.
Electricity retailer |
Types of green electricity plans |
Cheapest green electricity plan |
PacificLight |
Carbon neutral electricity only |
Sunny Side-Up, $0.1998 per kWh |
Geneco |
Solar and carbon neutral electricity |
Get It Green, $0.1958 per kWh |
iSwitch |
Carbon neutral electricity only |
Chope the Rate (36 months), $0.1905 per kWh |
OHM Energy |
Carbon neutral electricity only |
Simply Ohm, from $0.1799 per kWh including CO2 offset add-on |
Sembcorp Power |
Carbon neutral electricity only |
Sunshine Plan, from $0.1865 per kWh |
Sunseap |
Solar electricity only |
Sunseap-50, $0.2087 per kWh |
PacificLight: Sunny Side-Up Green Electricity Plan
PacificLight only has one eco-friendly electricity plan, and it is an online exclusive plan. It is a carbon neutral plan. Once a year in October, you will receive Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to prove that your consumption was offset.
PacificLight green electricity plan |
Sunny Side-Up |
Price |
$0.1998 per kWh |
What it is |
Carbon neutral electricity |
Contract period |
12 months |
The Sunny Side-Up plan may be more expensive than PacificLight’s other plans, it is not significantly more expensive. For instance, the Super Saver 36 months plan is priced at $0.1968 per kWh, or $0.000 per kWh more than the Sunny Side-Up plan.
Geneco: Get It Green & Get Sunny Green Electricity Plans
Geneco may sound like a new brand, but it’s actually a subsidiary of YTL PowerSeraya Pte. Limited, which is an established player in the energy industry. Geneco has two green electricity plans: Get It Green, which is carbon neutral, and Get Sunny which is solar-powered.
Geneco green electricity plans |
Get It Green |
Get Sunny |
Price |
$0.1958 per kWh |
$0.2088 per kWh |
What it is |
Carbon neutral electricity (fully offset) |
100% solar-powered electricity |
Contract period |
12 months |
18 months |
Of the two, Get Sunny is obviously the more eco-friendly option, but it’s also more expensive. For example, if you live in a 4-room HDB flat and your monthly consumption is 360 kWh, you will be paying almost $5 more ($75.17 for Get Sunny instead of $70.49 for Get It Green).
Get Sunny uses 100% clean solar energy though and the company offers seasonal discounts via promo codes you can use to lower your electricity bills.
iSwitch: All Electricity Plans Are Carbon Neutral
Unlike other electricity retailers that have dedicated green electricity plans and normal, cheaper plans, all of iSwitch’s plans are carbon neutral (except the no-contract plan). There are two general pricing mechanisms: fixed rate (Chope the Rate) and discount off regulated tariff (Super Saver Discount).
iSwitch green electricity plans |
Price |
Chope the Rate Exclusive (12 months) |
$0.2032 per kWh |
Chope the Rate Exclusive (24 months) |
$0.2012 per kWh |
Chope the Rate (36 months) |
$0.1905 per kWh |
Super Saver Discount Exclusive (12 months) |
20% off the tariff |
Super Saver Discount Exclusive (24 months) |
21% off the tariff |
Use their promo codes when signing up to enjoy bill rebates, free AIA Personal Accident Protection, Green Certified Electricity at no additional cost and up to 5% cash back on UOB One Credit Card Bill Payment. Get more of your friends on iSwitch’s plans to earn a $50 Bill Rebate for every friend referral.
Ohm Energy: Extra +$0.0054 per kWh for C02 Offset Add-on
For Ohm Energy, the eco-friendly option is actually an optional add-on that you must pay an extra +$0.0054 per kWh for. According to their fact sheet, they can change this price at any time, subject to 90 day’s notice.
Ohm Energy has four main plans: Fixed Ohm, Simply Ohm, Market Ohm and Ohm Discount.
Ohm Energy green electricity plans |
Price |
If you opt for CO2 offset add-on |
Simply Ohm |
$0.1799 per kWh |
$0.1853 per kWh |
Fixed Ohm |
$0.1980 per kWh |
$0.2034 per kWh |
Ohm Discount |
20% off tariff |
Up to 20% off tariff + $0.0054 per kWh |
Market Ohm |
Wholesale rates + $10.70 monthly fee |
Wholesale rates + $10.70 monthly fee + $0.0054 per kWh |
Sembcorp Power: Sunshine Plan
On Sembcorp’s website, it says all their electricity plans are “greener”, which can be confusing. In actuality, Sembcorp only has one green electricity plan, which is the carbon neutral Sunshine Plan.
Sembcorp Power green electricity plan |
Sunshine Plan |
Price |
$0.2087 per kWh (7am to 7pm), $0.1950 per kWh (7pm to 7am) |
What it is |
Carbon neutral electricity |
Contract period |
12 months |
As you can see, the pricing mechanic is a little different from the standard fixed rate or discount of regulated tariff plans. The Sunshine Plan actually charges different electricity rates for consumption during different hours of the day.
In the day (7am to 7pm), it is more expensive at $0.2087 per kWh. At night (7pm to 7am the next day), it is cheaper at $0.1950 per kWh. For this plan, you will get a free AMI Meter so your consumption can be tracked accurately.
To maximise your savings, you can leave your high-energy consumption chores to be done at night, after 7pm.
Sunseap: The Only Dedicated Solar Electricity Retailer in Singapore
As mentioned earlier, Sunseap is an electricity retailer that focuses on solar electricity. Depending on your budget and level of commitment to the cause, you can pick from 1%, 50% and 100% solar electricity plans.
Here’s an overview of the more significant 50% and 100% solar electricity plans, Sunseap-50 and Sunseap-100.
Sunseap-50 |
Sunseap-100 |
|
Fixed rate |
$0.2087 per kWh |
$0.2301 per kWh |
What it is |
50% solar powered electricity |
100% solar powered electricity |
Contract period |
24 months |
24 months |
As expected, Sunseap is the most expensive of the lot because it actually features clean, renewable energy.
Green Electricity Providers in Singapore to Power Your Home in an Eco-friendly Way
As you can see, there are actually quite a few choices for the eco-conscious in Singapore. There are 6 electricity retailers that offer green energy plans.
However, it must be noted that when compared to their typical, non-green electricity plans, these are significantly more expensive. It’s kind of like how fast food will always be cheaper than say, an organic salad.
Additionally, most of these are carbon neutral plans, which aren’t actually 100% clean. The only truly green plans available are Geneco’s Get Sunny and Sunseaps’s Sunseap-100 plan, but they are also the most expensive on this list.
More FAQs on Green Electricity Providers in Singapore
How Do I Buy Green Electricity?
The easiest way is to switch to an electricity provider that offers green electricity.
Which is the cheapest green electricity provider in Singapore?
Of the 6 providers in the article, iSwitch’s Chope the Rate (36 months) plan costs only $0.1905 per kWh.
What Is Green Electricity Singapore?
In Singapore, the term green electricity includes carbon neutral energy as well as electricity generated from renewable resources.
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