As electricity tariffs skyrocket to record high prices, some Singaporeans are apparently choosing to live in the dark

SINGAPORE: Some Singaporeans are apparently choosing to be at home without lights, as households face record-high electricity and town gas tariffs following sharp increases that took effect from July to September.

A netizen’s account of his friend’s decision to live in the dark amid soaring utility prices has sparked a lively discussion on social media, with some Singaporeans offering their own tactics on how to save electricity costs.

Facebook user Eugene Ng took to the Complaint Singapore Facebook page on Monday (6 Jul) and recounted what he described as his friend’s money-saving strategy.

He wrote, “My friend tell me he save electricity and money by using powerbank to charge his phone at home and than bring the powerbank to his office to charge.”

Asking if his friend is a genius, Mr Ng added, “At home, he don’t on the lights. He use a lamp that uses rechargeable AA batteries. He brings the AA batteries to charge it in his office and than brings back to his home to use on the lamp.”

The post prompted a flood of reactions from other Facebook users, with some saying they knew people who had adopted similar habits to avoid paying for electricity at home.

One commenter recalled that a former colleague had been doing much the same thing, writing: “He brought 2 sets of 20000mah powerbank to charge EVERYDAY. One for his own use, the other for his 2 sons’ use.”

The commenter added that the colleague also used rechargeable AA and AAA batteries for household devices, but concluded that despite the effort, “end of the day… he never gets rich also.”

Others, however, argued that the strategy was unlikely to make much difference to a household’s electricity bill.

One commenter described the idea as “really quite underwhelming,” pointing out that charging mobile devices costs relatively little compared with running major household appliances.

“Running an air-conditioner for one night can easily cost more than charging those power banks for an entire month,” the commenter wrote, adding that greater savings would come from using air-conditioners more efficiently, reducing hot water usage and replacing older, less energy-efficient appliances.

Another user was equally sceptical, remarking that “The cost of buying power bank is more than 5 years of charging devices cost.”

As the discussion continued, many commenters responded with tongue-in-cheek suggestions that took the idea of shifting household costs to the workplace even further.

One quipped: “Don’t forget to take shower in your workplace and bring some water containers and fill in there.”

Another joked that if the aim was to save as much as possible, “Aircon and heater are the ones that eat the most electricity, he should sleep and bathe in the office instead. Save more!”

Similar remarks followed, with one netizen writing, “Might as well stay in office 24/7,” while another asked, “Did he bathe at the office too? After that, carry a few pails of water home? Water is expensive too.”

Another commenter added, “Don’t forget to bring back toilet paper from your office, and if you stay in condo, go to the swimming pool toilet to shower.”

The discussion comes against the backdrop of sharply rising energy costs in Singapore.

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) announced on 30 June that household electricity tariffs would increase by 17% compared with the previous quarter, while household town gas tariffs would rise by 7.1%. According to an EMA spokesperson, both tariffs have reached their highest levels on record.

EMA said the increases were driven by higher global natural gas prices, which surged from the end of February and remained elevated through April to June. The increase in fuel costs has pushed up the cost of generating electricity and producing town gas in Singapore.

SP Group said the household electricity tariff increased by 4.64 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 31.91 cents per kWh before the Goods and Services Tax (GST), surpassing the previous record of 30.45 cents per kWh set in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Based on the revised tariff, a typical four-room Housing and Development Board (HDB) household is expected to pay an average of S$17.14 more each month for electricity before GST.

Overall electricity tariffs for all consumers, including businesses and non-household users, rose by an average of 17.5%.

Meanwhile, City Energy increased the household town gas tariff by 1.56 cents per kWh to 23.48 cents per kWh before GST, edging past the previous record of 23.42 cents per kWh set in the third quarter of 2024.

The latest tariff increases follow escalating tensions in the Middle East, with disruptions to global fuel supply chains contributing to higher natural gas prices. Earlier in June, EMA had warned that the conflict was expected to lead to a significant increase in regulated electricity tariffs.