The Seoul Metropolitan Government will offer special eco-mileage incentives for energy-saving activities over a one-month period. The move aims to encourage active citizen participation as the need for energy reduction grows amid the prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
The city announced Sunday that it will run an "Eco-Mileage Special Event" for citizens who practice energy conservation over one month from April through May. The program covers three areas: transportation (passenger cars), buildings (apartments) and citizen daily practices. The initiative aims to expand rewards for energy savings during a period of high oil prices so that tangible compensation reaches participants.
In the transportation category, participants who voluntarily join a one-in-five driving restriction program for 30 days during April and May and reduce their driving distance will receive up to 10,000 mileage points. Eligible vehicles include non-commercial passenger cars and vans with 12 seats or fewer registered in Seoul that run on gasoline, diesel, LPG or hybrid petroleum-based energy. Based on the reduction rate compared to Seoul's 30-day average driving distance of 816 kilometers for passenger cars, those achieving a 30% to less than 50% reduction will receive 5,000 mileage points, while those achieving 50% or more will receive 10,000 points. Applications are open from April 6 through 20 on the Eco-Mileage website, where participants must register their vehicle number and driving distance. Existing car mileage program participants may also apply.
The building category targets apartment complexes in Seoul. The city will select 30 complexes that have reduced electricity usage the most compared to a year earlier, awarding 5 million won to the top performer and 500,000 to 2 million won to the rest based on ranking. Applications run from April 14 through 28 and must be submitted by apartment complex management offices registered as Eco-Mileage group members. The city expects that collective conservation efforts across multiple households can produce the greatest impact in a short period.
The citizen practice category awards mileage points for easily achievable daily activities, with the annual accumulation cap raised from 20,000 to 50,000 mileage points. Specific eligible activities include: using reusable shopping bags, tumblers or reusable delivery food containers (300 points each, up to 10 times each); setting unused PCs to power-saving mode (500 points, once per member); and using energy efficiency Grade 1 products (500 points, once per product category, up to 10 categories). Any Seoul citizen aged 14 or older may participate.
Accumulated mileage points can be used for Seoul city tax payments (ETAX), Seoul Love and Onnuri gift certificates, gas bill payments, apartment maintenance fee deductions and donations. Every 10,000 mileage points are equivalent to 10,000 won in cash value. Building incentives can be used for replacing aging lighting and installing high-efficiency equipment within complexes.
"We will take the lead in spreading an energy conservation culture by providing incentives that reward citizens' voluntary efforts to reduce car usage and practice daily savings," said Kwon Min, head of the Climate and Environment Division at Seoul Metropolitan Government.