Following is a question by the Hon Emily Lau and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (March 12):
Question:
Regarding the conservation of electricity, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council:
(a) whether they have assessed the scope for reducing electricity consumption in various types of buildings, including government offices, commercial and industrial buildings, residential buildings; if so, of the assessment details;
(b) of the effectiveness of the measures to encourage conservation of electricity among electricity users in government departments and private buildings; and
(c) of the plans to strengthen efforts to educate and encourage government departments, the private sector and the general public to conserve electricity?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) has been conducting energy audits for public buildings since 1995 to identify areas of high power consumption and measures to enhance energy efficiency. So far, 154 public buildings have been audited. Subsequently, energy saving measures and facilities were implemented in these buildings, resulting in an annual reduction of power consumption by 14,000 MWh.
Using equipment of higher energy efficiency is an effective means to reduce power consumption. The Government Store and Procurement Regulations require that consideration be given to purchasing products with greater energy efficiency where appropriate. Major procuring departments such as the Government Supplies Department and the Housing Department have specifically included requirements for labels issued under the Energy Efficiency Labelling Schemes in their tenders for procuring certain electrical appliances.
EMSD has recently developed energy consumption indicators and benchmarks for private offices and shops in Hong Kong to assist the private sector to compare the power consumption of their buildings with others and to identify possible power saving opportunities and appropriate measures.
So far, EMSD has not developed energy consumption indicators and benchmarks for residential buildings as their power consumption is generally lower than that of commercial buildings.
(b) The Government has been taking active measures to conserve electricity and save the electricity bill. For example, through shifting to bulk tariff rates and implementing other energy saving measures, the top 20 power consumers in the Government have achieved an estimated saving of $78 million annually, representing about 4.5% of the total power tariffs for these departments.
To reduce power consumption on air-conditioning systems, the Government has implemented a pilot scheme since June 2000 to permit the use of fresh water for operating water cooled air conditioning systems in non-residential buildings at designated locations. So far, we have received 19 applications involving a total floor area of one million square metres with an estimated annual power saving of 11,400MWh.
To encourage the construction sector to adopt the Government's Building Energy Codes which set out the basic energy efficiency requirements for buildings, we introduced a voluntary Energy Efficiency Registration Scheme for Buildings in 1998. Buildings meeting the requirements will be awarded a certificate of registration and allowed to display the "Energy Efficiency Building" logo for publicity. So far, more than 70 buildings have been registered under the Scheme.
In addition, the Government signed the Demand Side Management Agreements with the two power companies in May 2000, prompting them to introduce the Non-residential Energy Efficient Lighting Rebate Programme in 2000 and the Non-residential Energy Efficient Air-conditioner Rebate Programme in 2001. A total of about 54,000 MWh of power consumption was conserved by customers of the two power companies in 2000 and 2001 through the use of more energy efficient electrical appliances and green practices.
(c) The Government attaches great importance to publicity and public education and will continue the following initiatives to encourage Government departments, the private sector, and the general public to conserve energy :
* promoting energy efficiency and disseminating relevant information through various means e.g. Announcement of Public Interest in electronic media, an interactive website "EnergyLand", and the Energy Efficiency Centre at the Science Museum;
* organising seminars for secondary school teachers and students and incorporating the relevant information into teaching materials;
* organizing seminars for property management companies and professional bodies to educate them on energy efficiency measures and technologies;
* facilitating non-governmental organizations such as the Consumer Council to provide accurate information about energy saving devices to the public;
* promoting the Energy Efficiency Labelling Schemes for domestic appliances and office equipment through seminars for suppliers/retailers; and
* conducting audits for the facilities of various Government departments to explore further means of conserving electricity.
End/Wednesday, March 12, 2003
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