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LCQ11: Energy saving measures
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    Following is a question by the Hon David Li and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, in the Legislative Council today (November 14):

Question:

     In his 2007-2008 Policy Address, the Chief Executive stated that as a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation, Hong Kong would honour its pledge and seek to achieve a reduction in energy intensity of at least 25% by 2030, and to this end, the Government would introduce energy saving measures at different levels, and consult the public on the proposed mandatory implementation of the Building Energy Codes. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it knows the percentage of electricity consumption for air conditioning in the total electricity consumption in Hong Kong in July and August this year, and the trend of such consumption in the past five years;

(b) given that in countries affected by excessively cold weather in winter, the installation of double-glazed or even triple-glazed windows is mandatory, whether it has assessed if all other factors being equal, mandatory installation of double-glazed windows in newly constructed buildings in Hong Kong will result in a meaningful reduction in the energy required for air conditioning in such buildings, and the number of years it will take for such mandatory installation to result in a 1% reduction in the overall electricity demand compared to a "no-action" scenario; if it has, of the assessment results; and

(c) of the estimated annual energy savings, in terms of overall electricity consumption, that can be achieved by replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs, which will reduce both the heat produced by the light bulbs and the electricity required to power them?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) Over the past five years, the percentage of electricity consumption for air conditioning accounted for around 30% of the total electricity consumption in Hong Kong.  There were only very slight year-on-year fluctuations in the percentage during the period.  We do not have month-by-month data on the percentage of electricity consumption for air-conditioning.

(b) Under the Building (Energy Efficiency) Regulation of the Buildings Ordinance, commercial buildings and hotels are required to be so designed and constructed to achieve energy efficiency by providing external walls and roofs with a suitable overall thermal transfer value.  Information such as the number of windows on the external walls, their thickness and materials are required to be stipulated in building plan submissions.  Therefore, new commercial buildings and hotels have to achieve energy efficiency in terms of the design and materials with windows as a contributing component.

(c) Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) consume around 75% less electricity than incandescent lamps.  Yet, some incandescent lamps cannot be replaced by CFLs owing to, for example, the need for special lighting effects.  According to the data from the Census and Statistics Department, the net yearly import of incandescent lamps in 2006 was about 34.5 million units, which was equivalent to around 16 million installations.  Assuming that 50% of them are replaced by CFLs, there will be an estimated annual saving of about 450 GWh, which is equivalent to about 1% of the total electricity consumption in Hong Kong.

Ends/Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Issued at HKT 14:05

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