Gwangmyeong City Provides Free Air Conditioners to 74 Vulnerable Households... Expanding 'Energy Welfare'

by Lee jonggu

Published 14 Apr.2026 15:14(KST)

Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province will provide free air conditioners to vulnerable households ahead of the upcoming heatwave.

Aerial view of Gwangmyeong City Hall. Provided by Gwangmyeong City

On April 14, the city announced that it has selected 74 households as recipients for the cooling sector of the "2026 Energy Efficiency Improvement Project for Low-Income Households."

This figure is higher than the initially planned 58 households, as the city actively identified additional households in welfare blind spots.

This project provides high-efficiency wall-mounted air conditioners free of charge to energy-vulnerable groups, including beneficiaries of the National Basic Livelihood Security Program, near-poor households, and low-income families in welfare blind spots. The project is overseen by the Climate Energy and Environment Department and implemented by the Korea Energy Foundation.

The selected 74 households will have the air conditioners installed sequentially according to the construction schedule, with the goal of completing all installations by June, before the peak summer heat.

In addition, the city is also accepting applications for heating support. This includes free services such as insulation work, window replacement, and replacement of old boilers. Residents may apply at their local administrative welfare centers until the budget is exhausted. The target number of households for the heating support sector is 111.

Choi Hye-min, Acting Mayor (Deputy Mayor) of Gwangmyeong, stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure that energy-vulnerable households can get through the summer without worrying about the heat," adding, "We will redouble our efforts to identify all eligible recipients so that no household is left out, and continue to close the energy welfare gap."