Seoul City Expands Eco-Friendly Boiler Support...Free Assistance for Flood-Vulnerable Groups

Expansion of Support for Eco-Friendly Home Boilers Including Central to Individual Heating Apartments and New Installations in Newly Built Buildings
Free Replacement of Eco-Friendly Boilers for 120 Vulnerable Households in Special Disaster Flood Areas in August

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 11th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it has lowered the subsidy payment criteria to expand the distribution of eco-friendly boilers for households, which have greater fine dust reduction and energy-saving effects compared to general boilers.

Eco-friendly boilers emit only one-eighth of the nitrogen oxides (NOx) compared to general old boilers, thus having a fine dust reduction effect. Their thermal efficiency is 12% higher, allowing households that spend about 1 million KRW annually on city gas to save approximately 130,000 KRW.

Seoul has expanded the support targets by providing subsidies when replacing general boilers with eco-friendly boilers, switching from central heating to individual heating in apartment complexes, replacing eco-friendly boilers in public rental housing, or newly installing eco-friendly boilers in newly constructed buildings.

Seoul aims to replace 3.62 million old boilers by 2030 and has distributed 630,000 eco-friendly boilers from 2015 to September 2022. The city estimates that the distribution of eco-friendly boilers will reduce 1,258 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 120,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). This corresponds to saving 50.01 million cubic meters of city gas, enough for 82,000 households to use for one year.

Recipients are selected on a first-come, first-served basis within the budget, but when the budget is exhausted, subsidies are provided according to priority among applicants received each month. The priority order is ▲ vulnerable groups ▲ privately operated social welfare facilities such as private daycare centers and private senior centers ▲ cases replacing general household boilers ▲ cases newly installing household eco-friendly boilers.

Meanwhile, under the core policy of ‘Walking Together with the Vulnerable,’ Seoul continues to support energy-vulnerable groups by prioritizing subsidies for eco-friendly boilers to 500 low-income households this year as well. Among low-income households, 500 particularly disadvantaged households were selected, and support was provided through a full self-payment support project using the Seoul Energy Welfare Citizen Fund and in-kind donations of eco-friendly boilers from boiler manufacturers. 138 households were completed in the first half of the year, and the project will continue in the second half.

Additionally, a free replacement project for household eco-friendly boilers will be promoted for 120 vulnerable households in special disaster areas affected by flooding due to heavy rain in August. Support is provided to vulnerable groups in special disaster area autonomous districts affected by flooding, and applications can be submitted at local community service centers. Final selection is made through document screening and on-site investigation, followed by free replacement.

Im Mi-kyung, Director of the Green Energy Division of Seoul City, said, “Replacing with eco-friendly boilers not only saves city gas costs but also effectively reduces fine dust,” adding, “With the significantly relaxed eligibility criteria, we hope many citizens will switch to eco-friendly boilers to save heating costs in this high-price era and protect their health.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.