HKUST's New Testing Facility for International Energy Rating Certificate

Abstract

[evdate 1999-08-05] For release 5 August 1999

HKUST'S NEW TESTING FACILITY FOR INTERNATIONAL ENERGY RATING CERTIFICATE

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has recently completed the installation of a world-class testing facility, the Jockey Club Controlled-Environment Test Facility, at the newly established Center for Energy and Thermal Systems. In addition to teaching and research, this facility will be used to conduct energy efficiency tests to help vendors of household equipment such as air-conditioners, refrigerators and dehumidifiers speed up their process of applying for an energy rating certificate.

An energy certificate indicates the energy efficiency of the equipment. "Because of the lack of an accredited facility in Hong Kong, energy efficiency tests of the aforementioned equipment used to be conducted in an accredited laboratory in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. With the installation of an accredited Controlled-Environment Test Facility, we will be able to conduct these energy efficiency tests locally. This will enable the vendors to reduce both the cost of applying for the certificate and the product-to-market lead time. It would also provide assistance to the Energy Labeling Scheme, launched in 1995 by the Government's Energy Efficiency Office," said Professor Ping Cheng, Director of the Center for Energy and Thermal Systems and Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at HKUST.

The Facility consists of three major parts: an indoor room, an outdoor room and a control room. The indoor and outdoor rooms simulate the indoor and outdoor working environments respectively. The control room not only controls the environmental conditions of the indoor and outdoor rooms, but also collects data, such as temperature, relative humidity, air flow rate, and electricity consumption, produced by the unit under test.

Dr C T Hsu, Senior Lecturer of the Mechanical Engineering Department, who helped write the specifications of the Facility, said that the sophisticated sensors and equipment in the Facility enable the control of the room temperature and relative humidity within an accuracy of 0.1 degree Celsius and 3% respectively. "With this level of accuracy, we will be able to issue internationally recognized energy efficiency test reports after the facility has been accredited by the Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme," said Professor Cheng.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Hong Kong Industry Department have contributed HK$3.3 million and HK$1.95 million respectively to support the construction and accreditation of the Facility.

Note to Editors: For further enquiries, please contact Mr Bosco Wong of the Office of University Development and Public Affairs at 2358-6307 or email pamedia@ust.hk.