SINGAPORE - A Wi-Fi-controlled water heater, a gas hob that can be turned on and off via an app, and an electric vehicle charging station are some of the high-tech offerings available at a new store in Plaza Singapura.
Called Life by City Energy, it lets customers experience what it is like to live in a green smart home.
Such homes feature smart technology that helps limit energy expenditure and cut down on the use of fossil fuels.
With the official opening of its store on Tuesday, national gas utility City Energy took another step towards its transformation from a public utility into a green and smart energy solutions provider.
The goal is to help build smart, low-carbon homes and offices for the future for both retail customers and businesses, to make life more convenient and to keep utility bills down, said City Energy.
All the smart devices displayed at its store can be controlled and monitored on a single mobile app, known as iAppliances.
Partners on this platform include appliance makers Ariston, Casa, Ferroli, Habitap, LG, Kuche, Macro, Mayer, Mowe, Rinnai and Whirlpool.
City Energy said it is constantly looking to bring in more partners to its platform.
It is also working with private property developers to bring these solutions into their condominiums.
The company, which is Singapore’s only piped town gas provider for more than 880,000 homes and businesses, started on its green transition about 1½ years ago.
“We started this journey for us to move from just a pure household gas provider to an energy solution provider, where we can support the nation in achieving its net-zero carbon targets,” said City Energy chief executive Perry Ong.
Singapore has pledged to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“We have been supplying piped town gas for the last 161 years, but can we continue to only sell piped town gas for the next 160 years? Clearly as a company, that should not be the case. The green transition is happening all around us, and that opens up opportunities for us to do more in the energy space,” Mr Ong added.
In addition to its new store, City Energy is in the midst of launching its solar solutions, he said.
The firm is looking to install and maintain solar panels on suitable rooftops with no upfront cost to customers. Instead, customers will pay for the solar energy that they use, and the excess energy generated will be channelled back to the national grid.
“With the increased adoption of these renewable sources of energy, given time, prices will come down and become more affordable,” Mr Ong said.
The company is also looking to “green up” its piped town gas and has embarked on several studies to explore the use of green hydrogen. Piped town gas remains a core business for the firm.
This piped gas is half made up of grey hydrogen, which City Energy hopes to replace with green hydrogen obtained via a renewable method. Grey hydrogen is hydrogen that is not produced via environmentally friendly means.
