The government is considering reviving the Eco-point incentive program for environment-friendly home appliances this winter to encourage power-saving efforts, national policy minister Koichiro Genba said Friday.
The program was introduced in May 2009 as part of an economic stimulus package and ended last March. Under the system, consumers who bought environmentally friendly home electronics could exchange points for other goods and services.
Industry minister Banri Kaieda said the program should be reintroduced if related Cabinet ministers can agree on it.
While the previous program was conducted mainly to save energy and expand consumption, this time it should focus on encouraging the purchase of products that have high energy-saving effects, he said.
The nation is facing power shortages amid the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Some other nuclear power plants have also been halted.