HK Electric was recently presented with a grand award for the excellent energy conservation performance at its key operational hub, in the Energy Saving Championship Scheme jointly organised by the Environment Bureau and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department.
Electric Tower, equipped with a computerised System Control Centre that is linked with various systems, beat 84 other buildings participating in the organisations category to win the "Hanson Grand Retro-commissioning (RCx) (Implementation) Award".
Located in Apleichau, Electric Tower was completed years ago and the equipment inside had to be renovated and the performance upgraded. There was also a need to add in a data centre. The engineering team took this opportunity to make adjustments and improvements to the system and also identify and design better energy-saving solutions.
The newly-added data centre has its own air conditioning units and has to be maintained at an appropriate temperature level round-the-clock to ensure the smooth operation of temperature-sensitive IT equipment therein. To save energy, smart sensors have been installed at different server cabinets to collect temperature data which is then transmitted to an AI-based system for analysis. The cooling output continuously matches the load of the air conditioning units so that the system could optimise the speed of variable-speed fans and shut down redundant units accordingly. By reducing power consumption, significant energy saving could be achieved while enhancing the effectiveness of power usage.
Besides upgrading the old air conditioning system of the whole Electric Tower from an air-cooled to a more environmentally friendly water-cooled chilled water plant, belt-driven air handling units were also replaced with variable-speed electronically commutated fans having energy-efficient motors. As HK Electric needs to ensure the constant stability and reliability of its power supply to customers, engineers and other supporting staff have to stay and work outside office hours. To cater for this, "overtime buttons" were installed at individual zones for air-conditioning supply after office hours to further optimise energy usage. These buttons are manually operated based on actual need. Coupled with a number of other enhancement projects on improving the energy efficiency of lighting appliances, a significant reduction in electricity consumption has been achieved at Electric Tower after the retro- commissioning.
HK Electric's Operations Director, Mr. Francis Cheng, said it was encouraging to receive the "Hanson Grand Award" as it was recognition of the efforts made by the Company in protecting the environment. He noted that the aging equipment at Electric Tower provided the right opportunity to upgrade to a more sophisticated system where better results could be delivered together with the application of AI equipment.
Not only is HK Electric committed to improving the energy-saving performance of company buildings, it also spares no efforts in promoting the same in the community through a suite of Smart Power Services. During the first half of this year, the Company completed more than 100 energy audits for businesses. The Smart Power Care Fund approved more than 380 applications for relief measures and subsidies to improve energy efficiency and electrical safety, while the Smart Power Building Fund approved 22 applications for energy efficiency-related building works worth HK$6.3 million. The subsidies, provided by the Smart Power Building Fund, can also be used for retro-commissioning and building-based smart technologies to enhance energy efficiency.
The Energy Saving Championship Scheme 2019 was aimed at encouraging organisations in different sectors to adopt RCx as a cost-effective measure to enhance energy efficiency in existing buildings. Assessment criteria included identification of energy-saving opportunities with implementation plan, technical approach to implementation of RCx and opportunities to achieve benefits in energy saving, and on-going commissioning and training for operation and maintenance staff in energy saving.