Hong Kong No Air Con Night pushed back to October in hope of more support
Air conditioning accounts for 30 per cent of the city’s energy use, and environmental group Green Sense wants everyone to use fans instead on the night of October 7
With the temperature and humidity dropping in October, and Hong Kong’s climate becoming more bearable, Green Sense hopes more people will take part in its annual “No Air Con Night” this year.
The local environmental awareness group launched the initiative in September 2010, but is still not convinced it has persuaded enough Hongkongers to switch on their fans for a night instead of using air cons.
“Rather than picking a night in July or August each year, we chose September, and this year it’s October 7,” says Gabrielle Ho Ka-yee, Green Sense’s project manager. Holding the occasion a month later is more realistic if they want a greater number of people to take part, she says. An estimated 88,000 households showed support for the campaign last year.
The government’s Electrical and Mechanical Services Department estimates air conditioners consumed 13 billion KWH of electricity in 2013, accounting for 30 per cent of Hong Kong’s total energy use. Residential and commercial buildings contribute 60 per cent of Hong Kong’s greenhouse gas emissions, it says.
