TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Economic Affairs announced that applications for this year's commercial energy-efficient equipment subsidy program opened Tuesday and will run through May 31.
The Ministry said the program is divided into the "equipment replacement subsidy" and the "energy system replacement subsidy." It hopes businesses will complete the process before the peak electricity demand in summer, per CNA.
The Administration of Commerce said that from 2023 to last year, the subsidy program helped over 36,000 businesses replace more than 60,000 air conditioners and 350,000 light fixtures. The program helps to save 400 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and reduce carbon emissions by 200,000 tonnes.
The "equipment replacement subsidy" covers appliances with energy-saving labels. The subsidy is 50% of the product price, with a maximum subsidy cap of NT$500,000 (US$16,000).
The "energy system replacement subsidy" applies to businesses with an electricity capacity of 100 kWh or more. If the energy-saving plan proposed achieves a savings rate of 10% or more, the program will subsidize one-third of the plan's costs, with a maximum subsidy of NT$5 million.
The ministry also recommended that businesses with high electricity consumption collaborate with energy service companies to implement energy management systems or jointly propose energy-saving plans.
Businesses with lower electricity consumption can apply for the "equipment replacement subsidy," the administration said. As long as the subsidized items do not overlap, businesses can apply for both categories.
The ministry also provided a subsidy program for replacing old home appliances, leading to the replacement of 3.22 million units from 2023 to last year. The program continues this year, offering an NT$3,000 subsidy per new appliance to replace another 2.07 million units.
Taiwan saved 4.8 billion kWh of electricity last year, surpassing the government’s initial target of 4.5 billion kWh. The goal for this year is to save 5.5 billion kWh, with a cumulative savings target of 20.6 billion kWh by 2027.
