The government will provide members of vulnerable groups with a full year’s worth of energy vouchers to mitigate the cost burden of cooling their homes amid the record-breaking heat wave.

The finance ministry on Friday announced plans to distribute the annual vouchers of up to 700-thousand won, or around 509 U.S. dollars, in a single payment instead of one installment in the summer and one in the winter.
 
Distribution of the vouchers started July 1, and eligibility includes recipients of state assistance for basic living expenses whose households include children, older adults, people with disabilities, expectant mothers, or people with serious or rare illnesses.

Meanwhile, by early July the government finished providing support for the installation of highly efficient air conditioning systems for some 18-thousand vulnerable households and around 500 social welfare centers.

Officials also plan to continue a project to improve home insulation and build doors and windows that increase the efficiency of air conditioning.