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Following is a question by the Hon Martin Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (July 7):

Question:

Regarding the issue of energy, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the effectiveness of its Energy Efficiency Programme, the amount of energy consumption reduced through the implementation of the Programme and the percentage of the reduced amount in the total energy consumption in the past three years;

(b) whether, since the expiry of the Demand Side Management ("DSM") Agreements between the authorities and the two power companies on June 30 last year, the authorities have taken the initiative to promote DSM practices in the past year, in addition to relying on the relevant power companies to continue with their promotional and planning efforts in relation to DSM; if they have, of the contents and effectiveness of their promotional efforts; if not, the reasons for that; and

(c) whether it will consider taking the lead in making vigorous efforts to reduce energy consumption, such as requiring government departments to maintain the temperatures in their offices at 24 degree celsius or above to prevent wastage of electricity due to excessively low room temperatures?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) It is estimated that nearly 950 GWh of electricity was saved through the energy saving programmes implemented by the Government in the past three years (2001-2003). In 2001, 2002 and 2003, the amount of electricity saved represented 0.59%, 0.82% and 1.08% of the total energy consumption of Hong Kong respectively.

(b) The Government has been actively practising demand side management at all times before the signing of the Demand Side Management (DSM) Agreements, during their effective periods and after their expiry. The Government's efforts in this aspect include promoting water-cooled air conditioning systems; encouraging the use of equipment bearing Grade 1 or 2 Energy Efficiency Labels and other energy efficient products; fostering electricity saving practices (e.g. adjusting the temperature setting of air-conditioning systems upward and curtailing the operating hours of air-conditioning); and advocating energy audits. In addition, we frequently organise talks on energy saving for schools and organisations and have set up the Energyland, which is an educational website, and other websites on electricity consumption management. Thanks to the positive response from the community, it is estimated that more than 400 GWh of electricity was saved last year through these measures, representing about 1.08% of the total energy consumption of Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, we are exploring jointly with the Education and Manpower Bureau the incorporation of such elements as energy efficiency and renewable energy into the primary and secondary curricula so that members of the public will recognise the importance of saving energy and develop electricity saving habits from an early age.

(c) The Government requires all departments to save electricity without compromising the efficiency and quality of service. We organise seminars for them from time to time and have issued guidelines on energy saving such as setting the air-conditioned room temperature at 25.5 degree celsius under normal circumstances. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has conducted 215 energy audits on government premises to identify opportunities for saving energy. We also require that lighting with higher energy efficiency should be used in all newly completed or renovated offices and energy efficient models should be chosen as far as possible when procuring office equipment. We estimate that these measures saved the Government a total of $27 million in electricity expenses in 2003/04.

Ends/Wednesday, July 7, 2004

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