TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 1984
16
AIR-CONDITIONING GUIDELINES
****
THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT HAS DRAWN UP GUIDELINES FOR THE INSTALLATION OF AIR-CONDITIONERS IN BOTH EXISTING AND NEW TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS.
THIS FOLLOWS CAREFUL CONSIDERATION BY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY'S OPERATIONS COMMITTEE AFTER THE DEPARTMENT HAS DISCUSSED WITH THE POWER COMPANIES THE UPGRADING OF POWER SUPPLIES WITHIN THA'S.
A HOUSING SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY THE GUIDELINES WERE ESTABLISHED HAVING REGARD TO THE POWER CAPACITY IN THA'S AND TO THE FACT THAT AIR-CONDITIONING WAS NO LONGER CONSIDERED A LUXURY.
UNDER THESE GUIDELINES, IN EXISTING THA'S WHERE THE POWER SUPPLY HAS BEEN UPGRADED, TENANTS WILL BE ALLOWED TO INSTALL/ RETAIN AIR-CONDITIONERS BUT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN INTERNAL FITTINGS.
IN EXISTING THA'S WHERE THE SUPPLY HAS NOT BEEN REINFORCED, INSTALLATION WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE SAME WAY, BUT WHEN THE LOADING MONITORED BY THE DEPARTMENT IS APPROACHING ITS FULL . CAPACITY, NO FURTHER AIR-CONDITIONERS WILL BE PERMITTED.
THIS RESTRICTION IS THE SAME AS THAT WHICH APPLIES TO THE OLDER PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES WHERE THE WIRING HAS NOT YET BEEN IMPROVED. IN SUCH ESTATE BLOCKS, ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF FLATS ARE PERMITTED TO HAVE AIR-CONDITIONERS.
IN NEW THA'S WHERE IMPROVED WIRING HAS BEEN INSTALLED THROUGHOUT, ALL TENANTS WILL BE ALLOWED TO INSTALL AIR- CONDITIONERS.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT, AS A START, THE CHINA LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY WAS PREPARED IMMEDIATELY TO REINFORCE THE POWER SUPPLIES TO 10 EXISTING THA'S.
+THESE THA'S ARE LAI CHI KOK, PING SHEK, SHUN LEE TSUEN YAU MA HOM, PILLAR ISLAND, SHA TIN TAU, HONG NING ROAD, YUEN CHAU KOK, CHA KWO LING AND TAI WO PING.
+CHINA LIGHT HAS INDICATED THAT THE SUPPLY TO OTHER THA'S WILL BE UPGRADED AS AND WHEN NECESSARY.+
AS REGARDS EXISTING THA'S ON HONG KONG ISLAND, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE HONG KONG ELECTRIC COMPANY HAD ADVISED THAT THEIR SUPPLY TO SWITCH ROOMS WAS ADEQUATE TO PERMIT AIR-CONDITIONERS.
+WITH THESE GUIDELINES, INSTALLATION OF AIR-CONDITIONERS IN THA'S WILL NOW BE REGULARISED. AT PRESENT, THERE ARE SOME 2 300 AIR-CONDITIONERS IN THA'S.
+MEANWHILE, IN OLDER PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES WHICH ARE A MORE PERMANENT TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION, THE DEPARTMENT IS CONTINUING ITS $296 MILLION PROGRAMME TO UPGRADE WIRING OVER THE NEXT SEVEN YEARS.+
NOTICES WILL BE PUT UP IN THA'S TO INFORM TENANTS OF THE APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR THE INSTALLATION OF AIR-CONDITIONERS.
/17