[Photo: LG Electronics]
Customers will be able to receive refunds on electricity bills if they use home appliances during hours when power demand is low. LG Electronics said on Wednesday it signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea Electric Power at Yangjae KEPCO Art Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to 추진 a pilot “smart appliance cashback” project.
Participating customers will receive refunds based on electricity use by 4 types of LG appliances, including washing machines, dryers, dishwashers and stylers, used during designated hours. Refunds are 100 won per kWh, capped at 300 won per hour. Combined washer-dryer products, including WashTower and WashCombo, are also included. Refunds are automatically deducted from electricity bills through Korea Electric Power’s energy cashback service.
The designated hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends and holidays during spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to October, when power demand is relatively low. This is also when the share of power generation from renewable energy such as solar increases. LG Electronics and Korea Electric Power aim to encourage appliance use during these hours and contribute to stabilising the power supply and demand.
Customers can apply for the smart appliance cashback service on Korea Electric Power’s website and then tap “connect service” on the smart appliance cashback page in the AI home platform LG ThinQ app.
LG Electronics is also continuing customer-participation energy-saving campaigns such as the “ThinQ 26 degrees challenge” in addition to this pilot project. The campaign encourages customers to set air-conditioner target temperatures to 26 degrees, the government-recommended cooling temperature.
Ki-hyun Jung (정기현), vice president and head of the HS Platform Business Center at LG Electronics’ HS Business Division, said: “Based on the AI home platform LG ThinQ, we will spread a culture of using energy smartly together with customers and introduce various services that can contribute to sustainable energy use.”