Assistance for Elderly Living Alone on Installation of Residual Current Circuit Breakers
Ministry of Trade and IndustrySpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the assistance provided to elderly residents living alone to ensure their homes are equipped with residual current circuit breakers (RCCB). Ms Joan Pereira inquired about outreach efforts for seniors who may have difficulty understanding government instructions regarding these mandatory safety devices. Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong responded that RCCBs are required for all residential premises, with a grace period until July 2025 before potential fines apply. He highlighted that the Housing & Development Board (HDB) has conducted door-to-door inspections and free installations for pre-1985 1-room and 2-room flats. Additionally, HDB will collaborate with grassroots leaders to assist the elderly and conduct follow-up inspections for residents who have yet to comply.
Transcript
15 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Trade and Industry what forms of assistance are available to reach out and help the elderly living alone to check if they have residual current circuit breakers (RCBB) installed in their homes as they may not be able to understand the instructions sent by the Government.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: The residual current circuit breaker (RCCB) is an electrical safety device that cuts off electricity supply immediately upon the detection of current leakages, to reduce risks of electric shocks. All residential premises will be required to have an RCCB installed from 1 July 2023. Home owners will be given a grace period of two years, till 1 July 2025, to comply with this new requirement. Thereafter, they may face a fine of up to $5,000 for non-compliance.
Since July 1985, it has been a requirement for all new homes to be installed with RCCBs. For residential premises built before 1985, most would have undergone renovations, and had an RCCB installed. A small number of residential premises built before July 1985 may still be using their original electrical circuits without an RCCB installed. The Housing & Development Board (HDB) has notified all residents living in 1-room and 2-room HDB flats built before July 1985 of this requirement and will be progressively notifying residents living in 3-room and larger flats built before July 1985. the Energy Market Authority (EMA) has separately notified all home owners of private properties.
Beyond the written notification, HDB has conducted door-to-door inspections for all 1-room and 2-room HDB flats built prior to July 1985 and completed RCCB installations for inspected units without an RCCB. For the minority of residents who did not respond to the earlier round of inspections, HDB will arrange for follow-up inspections and RCCB installations. These home owners will not have to bear any cost for inspection and RCCB installation. HDB will also work with grassroots leaders to provide further assistance to the elderly on this matter, if needed.