Irate over being too late for rebate

Reports by ALLISON LAI, JUNAID IBRAHIM, NELSON BENJAMIN and YEE XIANG YUN

JOHOR BARU: Despite the rapid uptake of the RM400 rebate under the Sustainability Achieved Via Energy Efficiency (SAVE) 4.0 programme for consumers who purchase energy-efficient appliances, many are complaining that they were not aware of such a programme.

Although they were eligible for the rebate, they claimed that electrical outlets told them that the rebate had been exhausted within months after the launch in December last year.

Businessman S. Suresh (pic), 44, said no one told him about the rebate when he bought a fridge in May.

When he found out and checked, he found his new five-star rated fridge model was not on the list of models eligible for a rebate.

“If the government wants to encourage everyone to buy energy-efficient appliances, the rebates should be given to all four- or five-star rated models.

“Why put in place a quota system for the retailers to give (out rebates)? Also, many people do not know about this rebate,” he added.

He also called for an enhanced claims process.

“The current method requires you to bring your electricity bill. People should be allowed to claim the rebate by showing their receipts instead,” said Suresh.

Marketing executive Ilyana Abdullah, 29, said she missed out on the rebate as she was unaware of the programme.

The mother of two said she spent about RM3,000 for an air conditioner and a refrigerator, both of which had a five-star energy rating, for her new home in May.

“I did not know that we were entitled to rebates of up to RM400.

“It was only recently that I heard about it from my friend, and I got frustrated as I could have saved some money.

“Every ringgit counts as the cost of living is high these days,” she added.

Lauding the rebate as a good initiative, Ilyana said more promotion was needed.

“The implementation mechanism should also be improved and extended to other electrical appliances. How often does a household replace their air conditioner and refrigerator?” she said.

SAVE 4.0 grants a maximum RM400 e-rebate to domestic households that purchase energy efficient air conditioners and refrigerators with four- or five-star energy efficiency labels from the Energy Commission.

The programme allows a one-off rebate of RM200 for an air conditioner and RM200 for a refrigerator that meets the criteria, on a first-come, first-served basis.

The items can be purchased from registered retailers and ecommerce stores listed on the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Seda) website.

The programme’s main objective is to increase public awareness to encourage people to buy energy-efficient appliances that will save on electricity use, especially for domestic consumers.

A check by The Star with several ecommerce retailers found that the rebate vouchers had run out although they were still advertising products with the SAVE 4.0 logo.

Johor Electrical Appliances Dealers Association president Gan Cheng Swee said the programme had a quota, and all the rebate vouchers were used up by June.

“Having such rebates help influence consumers (towards energy-efficient appliances) when making their purchases,” he said.

Gan added that many consumers were not aware of SAVE 4.0.

“We hope the programme can run all year round so more people can make informed choices and get energy-saving appliances, as they help reduce energy use and bills,” he said.