Govt to start giving additional points to households that save electricity in December

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, October 8, 2022

Households and businesses will be awarded points for conserving electricity under a government program to be launched this winter, it has been learned.

Cutting electricity use by 3% or more compared to the same month last year will earn households points worth ¥1,000 a month and businesses points worth ¥20,000 a month.

The government’s energy-saving scheme is expected to run from December to March 2023.

The points will be on top of planned rewards to be offered by electricity firms and people will be able to use the points for shopping and other purposes.

Under the government scheme, electricity users who cooperate in saving energy during designated periods when supply is tight will earn additional points. Energy savers will be offered points worth up to ¥40 for every kilowatt per hour they conserve.

Only customers of participating electricity suppliers will receive the points. More than 200 electricity firms had applied to join the scheme by the end of September.

Energy-saver points have been awarded by some firms since August, with household customers receiving points worth ¥2,000 and businesses receiving points worth ¥200,000.