Energy Sector Development Office (GDSE) Director Arnaldo Santos said on Sunday that about 20 government entities had managed to reduce their energy consumption by 5 percent annually over the past three years.
Santos made the remarks while attending the opening ceremony for this year’s Energy Conservation Week in Praça do Tap Seac, the 9th year of this annual event.
The Energy Conservation Week is a public event organised by the office, with the aim of increasing awareness of the importance and ways of saving energy before the summer, when Macau’s energy consumption spikes due to the high usage of air conditioners.
According to a GDSE statement, in order to further encourage energy saving, there will be a lucky draw for residents who manage to reduce their electricity consumption by 5 percent or more between July and September compared with the same period last year.
Three households can win vouchers for energy-saving appliances worth 10,000 patacas each.
Speaking on the sidelines of Sunday’s event, Santos said citizens were becoming more conscious about energy conservation. He also said that his office was planning to increase the number of public buses running on natural gas, as well as looking to create incentives for those who buy electric cars.
Santos also said that for the past three years, about 20 government entities had managed to cut energy consumption by five percent per annum. He said the expansion of various government bodies was one of the reasons why some of the entities failed to meet the energy conservation target.
Santos also said that his office could not make energy conservation compulsory by law, as that would require passing a bill in the legislature first. However, he said his office could recommend a standard and continue to promote energy saving to businesses and residents.
Regarding the all too frequent road excavations by power utility CEM, Santos said while his office tried to ensure that companies would not dig up the roads and pavements in the same area every year, he pointed out that as summer is coming, it was unavoidable for CEM as the power utility has to prepare for the peak season. (macaunews/macaupost)
