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After the increase in
electricity prices, the vulnerable are more worried about the upcoming summer. The government is working on a project to support high-efficiency air conditioning equipment, but the expected heat wave has led to an influx of applicants.

Reporter Jeongyeon covered it.

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Multi-family housing in
Gwanak-gu, Seoul.

The installer is carrying the outdoor unit to install the air conditioner and gets stuck in a narrow passage.

[Could you please hold me back a bit?]

Attached to the building next door.

Therefore, even if there are windows, there is almost no air, so it is not easy to get through the summer with only a fan.

The tenant, Mr. Son Mo, is a basic living pensioner and applied for the 'Energy Efficiency Improvement Project' and received support for air conditioning.

Electricity is now a burden, but I still don't have to worry about heat waves.

[Mr. Sun Mo/Air conditioner applicant: I used to live without air conditioning, I added a little from the voucher, so it wasn't so hard, but now if I put an air conditioner on, the electricity bill will not be much. (What if it's still too hot?) Then you have to turn it on, you can't sleep.]

This house in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, was built more than 60 years ago.

Work is in full swing to replace old wooden windows with new ones.

[Applicant for the construction of insulation/windows: Freeze to death in winter, fatten to death in summer. Thank you for doing this.]

It's also part of an energy efficiency initiative, which reinforces insulation to keep the cold air inside in the summer and the cold outside in the winter.

[Yang Jun-young/Head of Business Operation Team, Korea Energy Foundation: You can reduce energy costs overall. If you apply after receiving a recommendation from the local government, you can proceed with the energy efficiency improvement project at the Energy Foundation.]

As the burden increased due to the increase in electricity prices in the second quarter, there was a large influx of applicants for the energy efficiency improvement project for cooling equipment for low-income households this summer.

The government plans to expand related projects such as insulation, but at the same time, it will suspend the rate increase for one year and increase energy vouchers.

(Video Interview: Jeon Kyung-bae, Video Editing: Choi Hye-young, CG: Son Seung-pil)