Public institutions' energy use falls last year

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Energy consumption per member of staff in China's public institutions in 2011 decreased 2.93 percent year-on-year, beating the set target of a two-percent fall, according to government figures released Tuesday.

Average water consumption in public institutions such as government offices, hospitals and schools fell 3.02 percent on 2010, while energy consumed in terms of each unit's building area declined 2.24 percent, showed the statistics from the Government Offices Administration of the State Council.

In central government offices in particular, per capita electricity use dropped 3.28 percent, and government vehicles gulped 3.03 percent less fuel than the previous year.

The administration is requiring public institutions to achieve a four-percent fall both for average energy consumption and water consumption in 2012, which it called a key year for implementing the nation's 12th five-year plan on energy conservation and emission reduction.

It will coordinate with relevant departments to establish a system -- including energy auditing and assessment, and energy consumption quotas -- for major energy and resource-saving projects, the administration said.

New technology and products for saving energy should be further popularized in public facilities, and the application of solar power and ground source heat pumps should be expanded this year, it urged.

The administration also said the main tasks during 2011-2015 will be focused on areas including energy conservation in energy-intensive facilities, and fuel savings by government vehicles.

Source: Xinhua