“Mr. Mayor, please let me by! Going up means climbing the stairs, and if not should I go by boat?”
This line is from a promotional film. This year, the Department of Environmental Protection (環境保護局), Taipei City Government has designated smart electricity savings as one of its primary policy goals, and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je has initiated a movement to promote an electricity saving culture. Internet celebrities such as Fan Zhou Ge (泛舟哥) and Jiao Mai Ge (叫賣哥) participated in the filming of a fun ad campaign to encourage city residents to use elevators less, echoing Taipei’s new electricity saving culture. The film was posted on YouTube and viewed more than 200,000 times, generating a positive response. Many people realize that sitting in an office for long hours is not beneficial to their health and are therefore taking the stairs.
Smart Electricity Savings Requires the Joint Effort of the City Government and Private Sector
As a means of increasing the efficacy of energy savings efforts, Ko led the heads of the city government’s departments in an announcement of energy saving policies which aim to create a two percent savings (278 million degrees) in electricity use. However, these goals cannot be reached solely by the government; therefore, enterprises and city residents must also be involved. The Taipei City Government has established the smart electricity savings project promotional task force, which provides subsidies to communities that install electricity saving LED lights. In addition, the following nine major working groups have been designated: government agencies, public works, industry, transportation, culture and education, medical care, districts and neighborhoods, creative industries and advertising and media. For each of these nine working groups, a city government department head has been assigned as coordinator to encourage full civic participation in electricity savings projects.
Taking the working groups as an example, in addition to continually working to change all of the streetlights to LED and modify streetlight operating models, the times that the lights are turned on and off in riverside parks are adjusted. The culture and education working group focuses on the management of indoor energy savings among large-scale exhibition and performance centers. It also encourages large cram schools to participate in an electricity savings rewards program. The district and neighborhood working group provides a training program on methods for reducing electricity use, and city residents who complete the program are eligible to receive energy-efficient appliances. Subsidies are also provided to public housing residents in the amount of NT$20 for every degree of electricity saved in comparison with the previous year. The industry working group provides guidance to retail stores to reduce leakage of cool air from air conditioners to the outside and to replace high energy consuming incandescent lights.
The Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Social Welfare (社會局), Taipei City Government are working together to promote the “low-income family energy resources welfare service.” The Department of Social Welfare screens qualified candidates and creates a name list. The Department of Environmental Protection commissions a professional service team to conduct on-site evaluations and install energy-saving lighting. This service gives consideration to energy savings, social welfare and electricity fee reductions. In addition, to encourage communities to save electricity, the Department of Environmental Protection focuses on public area lighting in communities, providing subsidies for replacement with energy efficient lighting. It is hoped that efficiency of electricity and energy resource use in public areas will increase and electricity used in buildings will decrease to achieve energy savings and carbon footprint reductions.
Year-Round Energy Savings and Carbon Emission Reduction Tips
The Department of Economic Development, Taipei City Government reminds people that energy savings efforts are not limited to any one season of the year. There are many winter energy saving tips while using heater. For example, heater settings can be adjusted. A decrease of one degree Celsius results in a six percent reduction in electricity consumption. In addition, an electrical space heater consumes three times the amount of electricity of a combination air conditioner and heater. The size of the space should also be considered when choosing a product. If an entire room is to be heated, a combination air conditioner and heater will save more electricity, especially if the filter is cleaned regularly.
Urban development is an ongoing effort. However, when working to meet modern needs, it is necessary to stop and take a moment to think about what we are doing. Are we putting our homes where our children and grandchildren will live in danger? Regardless of whether we are creating a garden city or implementing an electricity saving and low carbon emitting green energy lifestyle, we are working to instill the ideal of a “sustainable acre of land” in this urban area. At the same time that we are enjoying convenience, let’s keep Taipei in sustainably good condition.
