Statement by SRA in Response to the Energy Efficient Grant announced by DPM Wong
June 21, 2022𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝗥𝗔 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗣𝗠 𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗴
SRA is appreciative of the new Energy Efficient Grant announced by MOF yesterday. This will help encourage in some way encourage our smaller retail SMEs adopt energy efficient equipment as a long term measure towards going green and cope better with the increased energy costs during this time where other business costs such as labor, shipping, overheads and materials are on the rise. Larger SMEs can continue to tap on Enterprise Singapore’s Enterprise Sustainability Program to invest in energy efficient equipment for cost savings continue or embark in their sustainability journey.
As majority of our retailers are in malls and buildings with centralised air conditioning, we hope that the government can also encourage landlords/building owners to adopt energy efficient equipment , especially older buildings, to increase their efficiency in energy usage and pass on such cost savings to tenants.
What is perhaps most critical at this juncture is the dire need for manpower without which retailers are unable to man their retail stores, operate efficiently and worse, unable to deliver the high standards of customer service expected of Singapore as an attractive lifestyle destination. Especially now when travel borders are opened and tourist spending is needed. We hope the government will accede to SRA appeals for a temporary relaxation in our manpower policies for eg increasing the quota for the Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) scheme and expanding the source countries for foreign workers for the Service sector.