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Government facilities in Singapore<\/a> have been asked to take steps to reduce electricity consumption to boost the nation\u2019s energy resilience with the conflict in the Middle East tightening global energy supplies.<\/p>\n In a statement on Wednesday (8 April), the National Environment Agency (NEA)<\/a> said that immediate measures include setting the air-conditioner at 25\u00baC or higher<\/a>, managing operating times for air-conditioning, lighting and lifts and unplugging or turning off non-essential equipment when not in use.<\/p>\n However, air-conditioning has been credited \u2013 by Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew<\/a> \u2013 as having “changed the lives of people in tropical regions” by enabling work indoors despite the heat outside.<\/p>\n In 1999, he was quoted as saying, “The first thing I did upon becoming prime minister was to install air conditioners in buildings where the civil service worked. This was key to public efficiency.”<\/p>\n YAHOO POLL: Is 10 weeks of shared parental leave enough now?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n YAHOO POLL: Should Singapore curb addictive social media features?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n YAHOO POLL: Should Singapore consider IEA’s recommendation for people to work from home?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Furthermore, speaking in Parliament on 7 April, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong<\/a> said the impact of the ongoing Middle East conflict<\/a> could persist for \u201csome time\u201d, with knock-on effects on Singapore\u2019s cost of living. As a country heavily reliant on imported energy, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to global price shocks.<\/p>\n
\nOther polls<\/h2>\n
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