The PUB was set up in 1963 to unify the once separate corporations or board managing the public utilities of electricity and gas. The logo depicts a power station, gas holder and flowing water all enclosed within a circle. They denote the three essential utilities—electricity, water and gas—handled by the board.

The logo emerged from a public competition won by commercial artist Chew Man Cheong. It was picked from the 1,000 entries received, and Chew was rewarded with a prize of $1,000. The competition was the third organised by PUB in its year-long search for perfect logo. The first was held only amongst employees, then secondary school students, and finally the public.

In 1977, the logo was replaced by a new design to signify the 24-hour service it rendered.