Electricity Consumption to Decrease in 19 Malls

It has been claimed that an enormous amount of energy and money can be saved if electricity consumption is cut back, according to Yiin Chii-ming, Minister of Economic Affairs in Taiwan.

Representatives of 19 major shopping malls and supermarkets took a vow on Tuesday to cut their store’s electricity use by 5 percent in the next three years and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Among the 19 enterprises, 12 were shopping malls and seven were supermarkets.

If the companies stick to their agreement, 40.72 million kwh of electricity will be saved, which in turn will prevent 26,000 tons of carbon dioxide from being released, Yiin said. That’s 70 times the amount of carbon dioxide consumed by Daan Park, Taipei City’s largest park, which is 259,293-square meters in size in a year. The businesses will also probably save NT$300 million, Yiin added.

Yiin made the comments at a ceremony held by the Bureau of Energy at the International Convention Center in National Taiwan University Hospital.

The energy-saving campaign was launched in 2006, and since then has targeted different businesses to sign an agreement to reduce energy consumption. In the first year, it was convenience stores; in the second it was warehouses; and in the third, it was hospitals, hotels and department stores. This year supermarkets and shopping malls were targeted.

The 12 shopping malls were The Mall, TaiMall, Metro Walk, Breeze Center, the Living Mall, Taichung Central Mall, Tiger City, Taipei 101, SugarMall, Miramar, Global Mall and Dream Mall.