Mr CHAN Kin-por stated that despite the passage of the motion on “Government-led promotion of a territory-wide energy conservation campaign” at the Council meeting on 15 February 2012, there had not been any proactive measures adopted by the Administration to conserve energy. He pointed out that in Taiwan, following the introduction of concessions for using less electricity, there was a significant reduction in energy consumption. Financial incentives on energy conservation had also been introduced in Singapore with positive results. He enquired if the Administration had any plans to launch a territory-wide energy conservation campaign, given that energy conservation was the most cost-effective means to combat climate change.
Secretary for the Environment agreed with the need for energy conservation. He said that the Administration had made reference to the experience of Taiwan and Singapore. A forum would be held in late October 2012 with academics and stakeholders on energy-related matters including energy conservation. Consideration would also be given to working out a mechanism to encourage energy conservation upon the review of electricity tariff later in the year. As buildings accounted for approximately 90% of the total electricity consumption in Hong Kong, there was a need to encourage energy conservation in both residential and commercial buildings. Building owners would be encouraged to carry out energy-cum-carbon audits to review the use of energy and identify means of enhancing energy efficiency. With the full implementation of the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance in September 2012, it was expected that the energy efficiency of buildings could be further improved.