Singapore - infamous for its widespread use of air-conditioning - has told government employees to bring up the temperature in offices to at least 25C (77F) as it grapples with rising energy prices caused by the Iran war.
The city-state's public offices will also install power-efficient technology like LED lights and smart sensors to help conserve energy.
Singapore joins other countries in South East Asia that have taken steps to save energy, like Thailand, which also asked people to keep air conditioners at 26-27C.
The region is heavily reliant on oil and gas shipments that pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively shut since the war began.
In 1999, Lee Kuan Yew, widely seen as the founding father of modern Singapore, famously credited air-conditioning with having changed the lives of people in tropical regions by enabling work indoors despite the heat outside.
The former prime minister is quoted as saying: The first thing I did upon becoming prime minister was to install air conditioners in buildings where the civil service worked. This was key to public efficiency. Lee, who died in 2015, is often credited as being the mastermind of Singapore's post-colonial transformation from a resource-scarce island to one of Asia's most advanced economies.
Today, there are very few offices in the country without air-conditioning - though some will argue that its use tends to be quite excessive. It is not uncommon for employees to bring in cardigans or sweaters to wear in office hours because temperatures are maintained at such low levels. Unlike many cities in South East Asia with open-air shopping streets, Singapore's malls are almost entirely air-conditioned, and pedestrians often experience a shock of cold air as they walk past entrances to malls and department stores.
The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment emphasized that raising temperatures even by one degree could reduce energy needs by around 10%. They are urging workers to switch to fans and utilize public transportation to cut fuel usage.
It's noteworthy that Singapore's fuel prices have risen, and the authorities have warned the public to prepare for further economic disruptions resulting from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The republic has thus far refrained from drawing on fuel reserves or implementing rationing measures since the war began.
Neighboring countries in Asia, heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil, are also implementing measures to cope with rising energy costs. The Philippines has introduced a shorter workweek for government offices, while South Korea and Thailand have initiated their own energy conservation strategies.
The economic fallout of the Iran war significantly affects developing countries reliant on gas and petrol, leading experts to advise on gaining efficient use of oil and diversifying energy sources.
