Thus, “Rabla for Household Appliances” offers an opportunity for vulnerable families to reduce their electricity bills by replacing old electrical appliances with new, energy-efficient equipment.

The first stage of the programme starts today, 15 November, with a funding round for LED bulbs, during which free vouchers will be awarded to around 50,000 families. Vouchers will be awarded to consumers registered last year in the Energy Vulnerability Information System on the compensatii.gov.md platform who were assigned the very high energy vulnerability category. In the process of selecting beneficiaries, priority is given to families with at least one child, with the number of children in the family being a prioritization criterion. The electricity consumption is also analyzed.

Beneficiaries will be informed gradually, either by SMS, e-mail or phone, about the availability of vouchers in their personal accounts on the compensatii.gov.md platform. Also, beneficiaries who do not have mobile phones or internet access will be assisted by the representatives of the Unified Centers for the Provision of Public Services (CUPS).

“The given programme is an innovative example of capitalizing with maximum responsibility of the support given to the development partners, in an efficient manner, which ensures the continuation of the programme even after the completion of the external assistance project. The information system, which is the basis of the administration of the programme, allows the identification of voucher beneficiaries in an automated way, eliminating human intervention in the decision-making process. Thus, a transparent and impartial approach to the distribution of vouchers to those who need them is ensured. Through this programme, support is offered for the procurement of household electrical equipment with more efficient energy consumption, thus contributing to the promotion of a responsible and sustainable use of energy resources,” says Ion Muntean, director of the Agency for Energy Efficiency.

According to estimates, just replacing a single 60W incandescent bulb with a 10W LED bulb, which is similar in brightness, brings savings of 328.5 lei per year. In a household with five light bulbs working simultaneously for seven hours a day, the replacement of light bulbs with economical LED ones will produce electrical bill savings of approximately 1642.5 lei per year.

With a total budget estimated at 5.8 million dollars, the “Rabla for Household Appliances” programme will provide financial support, by way of vouchers, of up to 80% of the cost of a refrigerator, electric stove, washing machine and dryer machine. Beneficiaries will contribute 20% of the value of the equipment. At the same time, in order to redeem the voucher, the beneficiary will have to exchange a used electrical appliance of the same type. The vouchers for LED bulbs will be provided free of charge, without personal contribution.

Details about the programme are available on the ecovoucher.md website. Should applicants need support in redeeming the voucher, the Support Center at the Agency for Energy Efficiency may be contacted on 0 8005 5005.

The “Rabla for Household Appliances” programme is implemented in partnership with the Agency for Energy Efficiency (AEE) which is being reformed and will become the National Center for Sustainable Energy.

The content of the material belongs to the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the EU or UNDP.