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Energy Efficiency (Labelling of Products) Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2009 was submitted to the Legislative Council (LegCo) today (September 30) to introduce the second phase of the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme (MEELS).
The Administration proposes to extend the coverage of the MEELS by including washing machines and dehumidifiers in the second phase. These two products account for about 7% of annual electricity consumption in the residential sector.
"It is estimated that the extension of the MEELS to these two products will bring about an additional annual energy saving of about 25 gigawatt hours, amounting to a saving of about $25 million in household electricity bills every year. In terms of environmental benefits, this will reduce carbon dioxide emission by 17,500 tonnes per year," a government spokesman said.
The implementation details of the second phase of the MEELS have been worked out after extensive consultations. The Administration has set up a task force with the relevant trade associations and the Consumer Council to gauge views from stakeholders. Key views received have been incorporated into the proposed amendments.
The Advisory Council on the Environment and the Energy Advisory Committee supported the proposal. The LegCo Panel on Environmental Affairs was consulted on July 15 this year. Members raised no objection to the proposal.
To allow sufficient time for the trade to prepare for the implementation arrangements and following the practice of the initial phase of the MEELS, the Administration proposes to provide a grace period of 18 months for the second phase of the MEELS.
The amendment order is subject to LegCo's approval by the positive vetting procedures. Upon the approval of this amendment order, the Administration will table another amendment order, which provides for the specifications of energy labels for washing machines and dehumidifiers and other implementation details, for negative vetting by the LegCo.
MEELS was introduced under the Energy Efficiency (Labelling of Products) Ordinance (Cap. 598) enacted on May 9, 2008. The 18-month grace period for the initial phase will end on November 8 this year. Under the ordinance, energy labels are required to be shown on all prescribed products for supply in Hong Kong to inform consumers of their energy efficiency performance.
The Government pledged in the 2008-09 Policy Address to amend the Energy Efficiency (Labelling of Products) Ordinance to introduce the second phase of the MEELS.
Ends/Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:01
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